


The Sweet Escape

by itsnotaboutlove



Series: The Chef and The Historian [9]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Conversations, Awkwardness, Disney, F/M, Family Vacation, Fluff, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, teenager crisis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-16
Updated: 2013-09-21
Packaged: 2017-12-23 16:10:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 41,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/928497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsnotaboutlove/pseuds/itsnotaboutlove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, a family vacation ends up being the best thing for everyone.... Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The sun was rising as the McCoy’s and Pike’s sat in the terminal, waiting for their plane to arrive from its hanger. It was a little after five-thirty and everyone was exhausted, as the early morning wake-up call came too quickly for anyone to prepare for. Up went the kids, half-awake as their parents dressed and prepared breakfast for them. Then came the final walk through, locking doors and windows, turning off air conditioners and unplugging major appliances in light of potential storms. The phone chargers and other cords were wrapped up and placed into carryon bags, the books and toys to occupy three small kids and one teenager for a long flight were packed up. By four-thirty, the cars pulled out of the driveways and took the fifteen-minute drive to the airport.

 

Parking was easy, since it was pretty quite at that time of the day, as Chris and Leonard parked next to each other. Out came the bags, many bags, and off they went. Check in was painless, much to everyone’s relief, as all the suitcases were all accounted for and sent off for loading. Security was a hassle, as the twins refused to walk by themselves. Finally, after much bribing, everyone passed with flying colors and moved towards the waiting area and sat down.

 

“Mommy!!! I wanna doughnut!” Charlotte exclaimed, as they set their bags on the chairs.

 

“You have to wait a minute,” Melanie sighed, as she set Sophia down on the chair. “I can’t just leave your sisters here when Daddy’s not ready yet to watch them.”

 

Joanna yawned loudly, plopping down in the seat next to Jim, resting her head against his shoulder. Still dressed in her pajamas, the teen struggled to keep her eyes open, as Jim rubbed her arm slowly.

 

“How about some coffee?” Jim asked her, as she snuggled against him. “Or a very big cup of that caramel macchiato that you always bribe me to get you in the morning before school? I’ll even get you a brownie.”

 

As they discussed their options for the tiny Starbucks stand across from their seats, Charlotte stood up on the chair and watched as Melanie unzipped Olivia’s backpack for her pig.

 

“Here we go, Liv,” she cooed, as the toddler whined. “I know you’re sleepy, baby. I’m sleepy too, but soon we’ll go on the plane and you can sleep the whole ride.”

 

Chris set the diaper bag down on the floor and moved to sit in the seat next to Jim. “I’ll take her,” he nodded. “Take Charlie to get her doughnut and I’ll watch the girls.”

 

Melanie nodded and took her wallet from the chair, “Let’s go, Charlie,” she nodded towards the other coffee shop further down from Starbucks. “You want anything?”

 

“Coffee. Strongest they got,” he yawned, as Olivia curled up against him. “Where’s your brother?”

 

“Went to the bathroom,” she sighed, as Charlotte continued to whine. “Charlotte, enough! It’s too early to deal with whining right now and if you continue on the plane, then you’re going to stay in the room tonight.”

 

The five year old pouted, “God give me strength,” Melanie shook her head, taking her by the hand. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

 

As they walked off towards the coffee stand, Leonard came back watching them go. “I guess Charlie wanted sweets?” he snickered, taking a seat next to Joanna.

 

“Anything to keep her quite for the next eight hours,” Chris mumbled, as Sophia climbed off of her chair.

 

“’Ones! Up!” she demanded, clutching her Mickey doll under one arm. “I sweep wif you!”

 

Leonard snickered, “Oh darlin’,” he shook his head, pulling her up onto his lap. “You’re too lively this early in the mornin’.”

 

………….

 

With ten minutes til boarding, Chris was ready to get on the plane and for two of his kids to pass out. While Olivia slept soundly against Leonard, clutching her toy pig, Sophia managed to run about around the chairs, while Charlotte climbed over them.

 

“Dammit!” he finally snapped, grabbing Charlotte as she tried to roll over the backs of their seats. “If you don’t sit down like a proper little girl, I’m going to leave you here.”

 

“Daddy!” Charlotte gasped, as he moved her to sit straight.

 

Melanie came back over to them, holding a struggling Sophia in her arms. “If we ever do this again, we’re getting a later flight. I don’t care if it’s got a connecting flight from Canada.”

 

“Next time we do this, they’ll be older,” Chris warned, as Charlotte whined. “Charlotte Anne. Do not test me today, because you are this close to spending the entire vacation in the hotel.”

 

Jim winced and glanced at his watch, “I think we should do a last minute bathroom roundup,” he announced, standing from his seat. “Before they start lining us up.”

 

Joanna, much awake now after downing a venti-sized drink, stood from her seat to help. “I’ll take Charlotte,” she volunteered, as Leonard stood from his seat.

 

“Do you want to go first?” he asked, Chris, while shifting Olivia in his arms. “Or do you want to wait until Mel get’s back?”

 

“You go on,” Chris nodded, standing up. “I’ll be fine with this one.”

 

Handing over the out cold child to Chris, Leonard and Jim quickly made their way towards the restrooms, while Joanna took Charlotte.

 

“I’ll be back,” Melanie sighed, grabbing the diaper bag off the floor. “Pray for me.”

 

The bathroom debacle left Chris with just enough time to use the toilet and wash his hands, as their flight was called for boarding.

 

“ _Flight 5193 to Orlando International will start it’s pre-boarding,”_ the woman by the door announced. “ _For those with small children and/or those who are using the assistance of wheelchairs, please come up for early boarding.”_

“That’s you guys,” Leonard announced. “We’ve got the first set of boarding passes, so hopefully we’ll get seats behind or next to ya.”

 

Chris nodded, as Melanie handed Sophia her backpack. “It looks like an empty flight, so hopefully everyone else spreads out.”

 

“I don’t want to hold my bag!” Charlotte exclaimed, as Melanie held it out for her.

 

Melanie grabbed her by the arm, bending down to scold her as she whined. By the time she and Chris handed over their boarding passes, Charlotte had her princess backpack on her back; the scowl on her face was ever so apparent to the woman collecting the tickets, as she held onto Melanie’s hand.

 

………….

 

“Waz dat?” Sophia asked, as she pointed to the tray in front of her. “Dada!”

 

Chris shoved the bags in the overhead, while Melanie buckled Charlotte into her seat. “You put your food and drink on that, Soph. It’s a little table for people to use.”

 

“Waz dat?” she asked again, pointing to the objects above her.

 

He sighed, siting down in the seat, double-checking her belt. “Those are buttons for grownups to play with,” he said, as she watched him. “All you have to do is sit here and be good for everyone, okay?”

 

She nodded, clutching her Mickey doll in a tight grip. Behind them, Leonard sat in the middle seat, while Jim and Joanna sat on either side of him.

 

“Daddy, just try to relax,” Joanna said, as Leonard fidgeted in his seat. “You’re going to scare everyone else.”

 

He scowled at her, while Jim dug through their carryon. “If you take something now, you probably won’t fall asleep until we land,” he mumbled. “You did this the last time we took a long flight, and I had to drag you through the airport to the taxi.”

 

“Mommy, why aren’t we sitting with Daddy?” Charlotte asked, from the seat across from Chris and the twins.

 

“Because the plane wasn’t built to have everyone sitting next to each other,” she said. “When we fly home you can sit with Daddy.”

 

The flight attendants began making their way up the aisles, closing the remaining overhead bins. Jim quickly got up and stowed the bag away, before taking a seat next to Leonard.

 

“Just relax, Bones,” he said soothingly, taking his hand into his. “Just think of cute things. Like by butt.”

 

“Dad!” Joanna exclaimed.

 

Chris doubled checked the seat belts on the twins, as they babbled at each other.

 

“Pia! I go pway wif Mickey,” Olivia beamed, leaning over to look at Sophia. “Mickey!”

 

 _“Good Morning! This is Captain Robau and I’ll be your pilot for today’s flight,”_ the announcement came on, as the attendants got ready to demonstrate the safety procedures. “ _I am pleased to see that more than twenty people are on this flight, which will put by crew into gear later on. We should land in Orlando right on time, if not a few minutes early, depending on the weather. Should be in the high nineties by noon today, with a chance of a stray shower or two.”_

“How does he know it’s gonna rain?” Charlotte asked, as the Captain continued to speak.

 

“He read the paper,” Melanie nodded, as Charlotte frowned. “Don’t worry about it, honey. Just watch the nice ladies.”

 

The Captain went off the intercom, giving the head attendant the chance to go over the safety procedures, showing the masks and flotation devices and where all the exits were. Melanie glanced back at her brother, who sat ramrod straight in his seat, as Jim whispered to him.

 

“Bones, easy,” he said, kissing his cheek. “Just look at me and before you know it, we’ll be up in the air and fine.”

 

“Easy for you to say,” he hissed, clenching his teeth. “These damn things are deathtraps. One little glitch and we’ll be crashin’ down to Earth over a hundred miles a minute. A crack in the structure and we’ll be sucked out at thirty-thousand some odd feet…”

 

Chris quickly turned around in his seat and glared at him, “Leonard, either you shut your mouth or I get the lady to tape it for you,” he warned. “Stop talking about planes crashing! Especially in front of the kids.”

 

Leonard quickly shut his mouth, tightening his grip on Jim’s hand. “I hate this,” he muttered.

 

 _“All righty,”_ Captain Robau announced, as he came back on. _“We’ve been cleared for take off, so we ask that you turn off all cellphones and other devices until we’ve reached ten-thousand feet. We’ll be pulling away from the gate in just a few minutes, so just sit back and relax. Coffee and drinks will be served a half an hour after take off, so hopefully you’ve all eaten beforehand.”_

The plane came to life, as the engines started, startling Sophia. “Dada!” she whimpered, reaching up for him.

 

“Shhhh,” he wrapped his arm around her. “Just hold your Mickey doll and relax. The plane is going to go down the street like our car does.”

 

Olivia squealed, trying to look out the window that she was just too short for, as the plane began to taxi out.

 

“ _We like to thank you for choosing Jet Blue today and we hope you enjoy the flight.”_

“How long until we get to Mickey’s house?” Charlotte asked, as the attendants made the last minute checks before taking their seats.

 

Melanie yawned, “Six hours and twenty minutes,” she said, as Charlotte looked up at her. “Plenty of time for you to nap, that way you can be up and ready to play when we get there.”

 

The plane slowly made its trek down the runway, in queue as other planes took off for their destinations. While Sophia went from whimpering to giggling in her seat, Jim was trying to keep his husband from having a nervous breakdown.

 

“Maybe tonight we can see the fireworks and get those big ice cream cones at that place we went to last time,” he said, as Leonard tried to relax. “Or we can stay at the hotel tonight and go swimming in the pool. I’ll get you the most unhealthy thing for dessert tonight and I won’t tell Dehner when we get back.”

 

The engines revved up as the plane began to move, putting Sophia and Leonard into a panic.  Olivia on the other hand, giggled and threw her hands up as the plane made it’s way down the runway, going faster than a car.

 

“Bones, you’re going to be fine,” Jim said, as Joanna watched them. “You’ll laugh at this when we land in Orlando, sweating our asses off and watching your sister and Chris struggling with three cranky kids.”

 

“We’re going up!” Charlotte gasped, as the plane took off. “Mickey’s going to be so excited to see us, Mommy!”

 

Across from them, Sophia wailed in her seat; her face red and her eyes wet with tears, as the sound of the landing gear coming up startled her.

 

“Shhhh,” Chris rubbed her back, as she coughed. “Look at Livvie and Charlie, Soph! See how happy they are right now? Come on, honey. I know you can smile for everyone.”

 

“Mama!” she cried. “I want Mama!”

 

Thanking his lucky stars that they took the seats all the way in the front, Chris shifted in his seat and tried his best to relax the toddler.

 

“Mommy’s right over there with Charlie,” he said, pointing to his wife. “See? As soon as we can, you can sit by Mommy and she’ll give you some goldfish.”

 

“Sophie? Sophie,” Melanie called out, grabbing her attention. “Hi, baby! Don’t cry! We’re going to Mickey’s house, remember? Mickey invited us all to come play for the week, with him and his friends.”

 

Sophia hiccupped, “M-Mickey,” she held up her doll. “M-Mickey pway.”

 

Melanie nodded, “Mickey’s going to play with everyone and we’ll go on the rides and see the shows,” she smiled. “Just sit with Daddy for a little bit and hold his hand, okay? When the pilot says it’s okay, you can come over here or switch seats with Daddy so you and Liv can play.”

 

“O’Ivvie?” Sophia asked, turning to look for her sister. “O’Ivvie!”

 

Olivia leaned forward as far as she could, looking at her twin. “Pia! Pia! Pia!” she squealed, waving at her.

 

The reassurance that her sister was nearby, calmed Sophia down, as Chris held he her hand. “Dada, O’Ivvie pway wif Mickey!”

 

Chris nodded, “How about you rest your eyes for a bit?” he suggested, wiping her face with his hand. “That way you can think of all the things you and Mickey are going to do this week.”

 

As Sophia babbled, Chris looked over at Melanie and sighed, “That wasn’t _so_ bad,” he mumbled, as Leonard let out a shaky breath behind him.

 

“Thanks Jim,” he mumbled, embarrassed by his freak out. “Sorry for that.”

 

‘Don’t be sorry, Bones,” Jim insisted. “You’re doing good, considering the last time you threw up all over yourself and cried.”

 

Joanna snorted, pulling her book up to hide her face, while Leonard scowled. “You better hold up your end of the bargain, Jim,” he warned. “I want the cake with the most chocolate on it. And a cookie.”

 

The younger man grinned, “Anything for you, Bones,” he nodded. “Just try to relax and we’ll be there before you know it.”

 

He nodded, sinking further into the seat. “Besides,” Jim shrugged. “If Olivia and Charlotte can get through take off without crying, so can you.”

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

By the time the plane landed, the kids were groggy and moody, as their parents unbuckled them from their seats. The heat from outside could be felt through the airplane, as they stepped off to make their way into the airport. It took almost a half an hour to get the suitcases, as other families prepared their long bus ride to the resorts.

 

“Everyone got everything?” Chris asked, as he wheeled one suitcase with one hand. “Do you want me to take that one, Mel?”

 

She shook her head, pulling the twins’ suitcase behind her, while holding Sophia on her hip. “I’ve got it.”

 

Finding the bus was easy, considering the huge Mickey insignia that was painted on the side. The image alone made the kids wake up from their jet lag, as the squeals began. Handing over the information to the driver, Melanie pulled Olivia and Charlotte to the side to wait with Joanna, as the bus boys loaded all the suitcases into the compartment that was labeled with their resort.

 

“You’re the second to last stop,” the man said, handing over a slip of paper to show that all the cases were accounted for. “Ya’ll can board and sit wherever you’d like.”

 

Not wanting to stay in the sweltering heat, everyone boarded onto the bus and sighed in relief; the air conditioning was on at full blast, cooling the sweat that covered everyone.

 

“Sit here,” Melanie said, pointing to the row near the back. “Jo in the middle with Soph and Liv on either side.”

 

The backpacks went under the front seats, as the kids sat down to watch the televisions that sat overhead a few rows forward.

 

“Goddamn it’s hot,” Jim sighed, dropping down into a seat. “I don’t remember it being this hot.”

 

“That’s because we went earlier in the summer,” Leonard sighed, sitting down next to him. “Before the sun decided to cook everyone alive here.”

 

In the row across from the kids, Melanie and Chris took their seats, with Charlotte between them.

 

“Mommy, when we go to our house, are we going to eat?” she asked, as Melanie dug through the diaper bag for her phone.

 

“First we have to check in and get our keys,” Melanie said, checking for the missed calls and texts. “Then we’ll go up to the room, change and figure out what to do for the day.”

 

Charlotte nodded and turned to Chris, while Melanie checked the voicemail from David. “Daddy, can you tell me what our house is going to look like?”

 

As other passengers boarded the bus, Chris turned his attention to the girl and smiled. “Well, our door opens up to a balcony that overlooks the pool and where you go in to eat,” he started, as Charlotte listened intently. “Our room will probably be next to Uncle Bones and Uncle Jim, so that we can go over for movies or whatever you guys want to do.”

 

“Is our house big?” she asked. “Like the one we just came from?”

 

Chris chuckled, “No, but it’s a big room,” he said. “Two bedrooms, one for you and your sisters and one for me and Mommy. And it has a tiny living room to watch television and to eat in.”

 

“Is our room going to be covered in Disney stuff?” she asked, smiling. “I hope it’s covered with all my favorite characters!”

 

“Mommy and I picked the Nemo room,” he laughed, as Charlotte squealed. “Your beds are going to have Nemo on them and the room is going to look like we’re under the sea. And wait until you see the outside of the hotel, Charlie. You guys are going to have so much fun there, that you’ll probably never want to go to the park.”

 

Melanie pulled her phone away from her ear and placed it back into the bag, “Daddy called to see how the flight was and if we got to the airport in one piece,” she yawned. “I’ll call him after we settle in, unless he’s off wine tasting again.”

 

“I’ll call Mom later to let her know we’re here,” Chris nodded. “And I promised Louisa I’d call, so that Charlie can talk to Julie for a bit.”

 

The driver finally boarded on the bus, as the undercarriage doors closed outside, announcing that they were ready to start the trip up onto the property. He listed the time table and all the resorts that they’d be stopping at, with theirs at the second to last stop on the list.

 

“Maybe we can see Cinderella’s castle on the way,” Melanie said, as Charlotte gasped.

  
As the engine started, the bus came to life, which earned a few squeals of delight from the kids on the bus.

 

“I hope we see Cindy-rella,” Charlotte nodded. “And I hope we see Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip too!”

 

“We’ll try to see as many of them as we can,” Chris nodded, as Charlotte sat back in her seat. “It’s also very hot outside and we don’t want them to faint in the heat, right?”

 

Charlotte gasped, “Oh no, Daddy!” she shook her head, turning to look at him. “I don’t want any of them to hit their head and get boo boo’s!”

 

Melanie snickered, as the bus began to back out away from the curb. “Yeah, Daddy,” she shook her head. “We don’t want that.”

 

……………

 

Two hours later, after a long bus ride and checking in, the Pikes were settling into their room. It took twenty minutes to get the kids up to the second floor of their hotel, as the girls rushed about to look at the giant Nemo statues that covered the property.

 

“ “Ory!” Olivia shrieked, pointing to the painting of the blue fish that covered the buildings. “Mama!”

 

“I know, Liv!” she laughed, as they took in their surroundings. “You know, the pictures online don’t do this place any justice. This is amazing!”

 

Like outside, the rooms were even better. As soon as the kids stepped into the room, they took off running, taking in their surroundings.

 

“Mommy! Daddy!” Charlotte shouted from one room. “We’re under the sea!”

 

The entire room was designed as if it were underwater; the blue carpeting and walls, with the effects of what being underwater in a cartoon world would be like. The table near the wall was painted in a colorful coral reef pattern, while paintings of Nemo and his friends sat on the walls.

 

“This,” Chris gasped, as he looked around the living area. “Is fucking amazing.”

 

They looked around at the bedrooms and bathrooms, taking in the sheer extravagance of it all. The shower curtain in the girls’ room hosted the images of Bruce the shark, along with Dory and Marlin and other characters. The beds had colorful comforters on them, to which the twins jumped on with delight.

 

“You and Sophie are going to share a bed,” Chris said to Olivia, as he helped her down. “Charlie has her bed over there and Mommy and I are going to be across from you two.”

 

“Can we stay here forever?” Charlotte asked, moving to look out the window. “I never want to leave.”

 

Chris chuckled, “We have to go home at the end of the week,” he said, earning a groan from her. “But how about later, we take a walk at look at the other buildings? Nemo’s not the only one here, you know.”

 

“Jim and Len are taking quick showers and they’re going to head down to eat,” Melanie said, as she read the text on her phone. “Jo’s going to join them in a little bit once she gets off the phone with Dad.”

 

“You wanna shower or change?” he asked, as she pulled the two suitcases into the girls’ room. “I’ll shower before bed, if you want to go now.”

 

Melanie shook her head, “I’m fine for now,” she said, unzipping one suitcase. “Charlotte, come pick out something to change into please. And nothing too crazy, since we’re going downstairs to eat.”

 

Charlotte nodded, diving onto the floor to dig through her suitcase, while Melanie picked out clothes for the twins to change into.

 

“I’ll get them dressed,” Chris said to her, taking the clothes. “You go on and change and I’ll go after you’re done.”

 

“Okay,” she nodded, giving him a quick kiss. “The pull up’s are underneath all the clothes if you want them to wear them. If not, their underwear is in the top compartment.”

 

He nodded, “Sounds good,” he said, moving to the bed. “Come on girls. Let’s get you out of these sweaty clothes and into new ones.”

 

…………..

 

“Okay, so like, I want to live here,” Jim announced, as he set his tray down at the table. “Our carpet looks like water and the fucking mirror in the bathroom is a porthole window of a ship. My hotel room looks cooler than my bedroom at home.”

 

Melanie snickered as she fixed the napkin on Charlotte’s lap, “This place has blown my expectations out of the water,” she nodded. “Literally.”

 

“Go sit next to Mommy,” Chris said, as he came over to the table with a tray. “Go on.”

 

Olivia and Sophia ran towards the tables, holding each other’s hands, as Chris came up behind them. Making sure that all the kids were sitting down at the table, Melanie helped him with the food.

 

“Look at these chicken nuggets,” Melanie gasped, as she set the meals down in front of the twins. “They’re Mickey shaped.”

“I figured these were the easiest to deal with right now,” Chris sighed, as he set Charlotte’s tray down. “Hopefully it’ll keep them full until later for a light dinner.”

 

Jim raised his hand and waved, as Joanna came in to the cafeteria, weaving through tables to get to them. “About time you showed up,” he snorted, as she leaned against his seat. “I guess Grandpa had you describing every detail, huh?”

 

She nodded, “I’ll send him pictures later tonight,” she shrugged. “Where’s Daddy?”

 

“He’s waiting for you in there,” Jim said, nodding towards the various food lines. “Didn’t want to order until you showed up, so you better run over before he starts whining.”

 

Joanna rolled her eyes and snatched a fry off his plate, giggling at his mock outrage as she skipped towards her Father. “Unbelievable!” he shook his head, as the twins munched on their food. “You two look like you’ve hit the jackpot with those nuggets.”

 

“What are we doing after we eat?” Charlotte asked, licking the ketchup off her fry. “Are we seeing Cindy-rella?”

 

“First, we’re going back up to the room so we can get our sunscreen on and our walking shoes on,” Melanie said, as Charlotte groaned. “Charlie, we have all week to see Cinderella. Today we’re going to go a little easy because it’s been a long day as it is and I don’t want anyone passing out from exhaustion.”

 

As Charlotte began to protest, listing every reason why they had to see Cinderella and every princess in the book, Joanna and Leonard came over with their food and sat across from them.

 

“What’s Charlie going on about?” Leonard asked, unfolding a napkin. “I hear castle and princesses in that whole tirade.”

 

“I wanna see Cindy today!” Charlotte exclaimed. “But Mommy said no!”

 

Melanie shook her head, “I said no such thing, Charlie,” she said, taking a sip of her drink. “How about we relax for a bit and then go?”

 

Chris nodded, “Don’t you want to fix your hair up, that way you look all pretty when you see her?” he asked. “Remember what you told Mommy about looking pretty for your pictures?”

 

The five-year-old gasped, “I have to make my hair all pretty!” she exclaimed. “I need to put Mommy’s face paint on and my sparkly hair band!”

 

Jim snickered as she fretted about what to wear, “I don’t care what we do,” he shrugged. “As long as everyone’s smiling and having fun, I’m good!”

 

“How about we spend the afternoon relaxin’?” Leonard suggested. “Walk around and see the different complexes here on the property, take a short nap and go to Magic Kingdom for that light parade we saw last time?”

 

“Oh!! I remember that parade!” Jim nodded, bouncing in his seat. “We have to see the light parade tonight! All the floats and costumes are covered in lights and it’s just… _amazing.”_

Joanna snorted as Jim sighed dreamily, “Dad get’s really excited when you talk about parades,” she shrugged. “Or any chance he can get at seeing Ariel in person.”

 

Chris snorted, as he wiped the ketchup off Olivia’s face. “I think that’s a great idea,’ he nodded, as the toddler giggled. “What do you think, Mel?”

 

“As long as Charlie and these two behave for the rest of the afternoon, we can,” she nodded. “But that means no back talk, no throwing things and throwing a tantrum. Are we clear, Charlie?”

 

She nodded, moving to kneel in her seat. “Shiny clear, Mommy!” she exclaimed, giving her a hug. “I want to take pictures with Nemo outside after we eats.”

 

Melanie nodded and helped her back into a sitting position. “I have to get my camera from the room, but we can take pictures with the Nemo statues and of everything else to send to Grandma and Grandpa.”

 

“So? We have plans for tonight?” Leonard asked, as Joanna texted under the table. “Please put that phone away and eat, Joanna. Before I make plans for you to go on Tower of Terror with a full stomach of chicken and fries.”

 

“We have plans,” Chris nodded. “As long as everyone behaves, we’re going out tonight.”

 

………….

 

After a nice walk around their hotel complex, taking pictures and the kids fretting over the design of their building, it was time for the much-needed nap. Instead of changing the kids into full pajamas, they stripped them down to their underwear and put on their sleep shirts, before tucking them into bed.

 

“You close your eyes and rest for a little bit,” Chris said, as they wiggled around in their beds. “That way, you’re bright eyed and ready to go tonight.”

 

Olivia clutched her pigs to her chest and buried her face into the soft pillow, while Sophia did the same next to her. On the other bed, Charlotte sat up and watched as Melanie moved the suitcases against the wall.

 

“Promise you wont forget to wake us?” she asked, as the curtains were shut. “I don’t want to miss the parade!”

 

“I set the clock for six-thirty, which gives us plenty of time to get ready,” Chris said. “The parade starts at nine and the park is closest one to our hotel. I promise that we’ll wake you up in time.”

 

She nodded and laid back against the pillows, pulling her Nemo toy to her chest, as Melanie tucked her in. Once the kids were halfway to dreamland, the couple stood in the doorway of the room and watched them, before turning off the lights.

 

“You sure they’ll be alright by the time we go?” Chris asked, as they made their way in their room.

 

“They’ll be fine,” she nodded, tugging off her shorts. “Luckily Jim and I didn’t make early reservations for tomorrow morning, so we can sleep in a bit and take our time with going to the park.”

 

They pulled the blankets back on the bed and slipped under the cool sheets, sighing in relief.

 

“Oh god,” Chris groaned, stretching out his aching legs. “This bed is a cloud and I never want to leave it.”

 

“We paid a lot of money to see Disney, so you’re leaving it,” Melanie yawned, reaching up to turn the lights off. “Lenny’ll call us later before coming over, just in case it takes us a bit to wake up.”

 

Chris nodded, “Sounds good,” he yawned, as the first half of the day’s events hit him. “God, I hope _I_ make it to see some fairy lights doing down the street. Otherwise, Charlie’ll kill me.”

 

“Hmmm,” Melanie hummed, as she rolled over to shove her face into the pillow. “She would get over it by tomorrow.”

 

“Hope so,” he mumbled, pulling the blanket up to cover them both. “Going to sleep now….bye…”

 

As soon as he started snoring, it didn’t take long for Melanie to follow him into unconsciousness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to see what the hotel looks like, just google Disney's Art of Animation hotel in google and look at the pics. It's literally the coolest resort on the property, unlike it's sister resorts. Brand spankin' new and too expensive for me to book a trip in. One day though....
> 
> https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/art-of-animation-resort/rates-rooms/


	3. Chapter 3

Melanie groaned as two little bodies crawled all over her achy and tired body, squealing as Chris told them to stop.

 

“Come on guys,” he groaned, as one of the twins smacked Melanie’s pant-free bottom. “You know you’re too heavy to sit on Mommy like that.”

 

“Whatimeisit?’ she mumbled into the pillow, as one of the twins continued to smack her behind.

 

She felt the bed shift, “It’s nine-thirty,” Chris said, as Charlotte came running into the room. “I think they’ve been up since six though.”

 

“Daddy! I wanna go see Cindy-rella, but it’s raining!” she whined, stomping her foot.

 

“Charlie, it rains just about everyday here,” Chris yawned, which distressed the five year old even more. “But it stops after a bit and the sun comes out.”

Melanie tried to roll over towards him, that way the twins could land on the mattress with soft thuds, but their weight combined kept her trapped underneath them.

 

“Can you move these two?” she asked, trying to wiggle them off her. “Come on, guys! Enough smackin!”

 

She felt the gradual weight change, as Chris pulled each of the twins off her, giving them both a noisy kiss on the cheek. “Let’s call Uncle Jim and Uncle Bones and see what they’re doing,” he said, ushering the girls out of the room. “Let Mommy wake up and use the bathroom first.”

 

Crawling out of bed, Melanie fixed her nightshirt and stumbled into the bathroom. It was only eight hours previously that they’d returned from Magic Kingdom, watching the light parade and a firework show on the ever so crowded Main Street USA. By the time they got out of the park and down to the shuttle stop for their hotel, it was twelve-fifteen. The twins were groggy and fussing, as Chris and Jim held them. Charlotte on the other hand, was wide-awake and complaining about leaving “so soon,” as they waited for their bus.

 

Washing up, Melanie ran a brush through her hair and pulled it back into a messy ponytail, before stepping out of the bathroom. From the girls room, she could hear Charlotte whining and the twins squealing over something delightful, as Chris tried to keep the mood calm for everyone.

 

“What’s going on in here?” Melanie asked, as she stood in the doorway of the room. “All I hear is cryin’ and I thought we were having fun here?”

 

“Mommmmyyyyy! Daddy said we can’t see Cindy-rella because it’s raining out!” Charlotte cried, as tears streamed down her face. “I wanna see her!”

 

Melanie tried her best to suppress the eyeroll, “Charlie, you know that Cindy’s not going to be outside in the rain,” she said, as the girl continued to cry. “The rain will ruin her ball gown and her hair!”

 

Charlotte pouted, her lips trembling, as she sniffled. “It’s going to rain on and off everyday just about,” Melanie continued. “That’s how it is here in the South, baby girl. As soon as it stops raining, we’ll get ready and head down to the bus to take us back.”

 

“P-promise?” she asked, rubbing her eyes with closed fists.

 

“I promise,” she nodded, as Chris brushed back a strand of her hair. “Go with Daddy into the bathroom and wash your face. Then we’ll call your Uncles and see about getting some breakfast before we do anything for the day.”

 

Standing up, Chris held out his hand, to which Charlotte took, and led her to the bathroom. Turning her attention to the twins, Melanie smiled at them as they jumped on their bed.

 

“You two hungry?” she asked, as they squealed.

 

“Mama! I hungee!” Olivia nodded, as she jumped. “Pia hungee!”

 

Helping them down off the bed, Melanie led them to their suitcase and pulled out their clothes for the day. “When Daddy and Charlie are done in the bathroom, I’ll help you get dressed and we’ll get food.”

 

From the sitting room, there was a knock on the door, followed by a “HOUSEKEEPINGG!” that made the twins screech.

 

“Uncle Jim thinks he’s funny,” Melanie shook her head, as she followed them out of the room.

 

Unlocking the locks and the bolt, Melanie pulled the door open to find her brother, Jim and Joanna outside.

 

“Hurry! It’s cold out!” Jim whimpered, as she moved aside to let them in. “Hey girls!”

 

Olivia and Sophia squealed as Jim knelt on the floor to give them hugs and kisses, while Leonard and Joanna came in after him.

 

“God,” Melanie shook her head, watching the rain outside. “What a shitty morning.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Leonard snorted, as he went to give the twins a hug and kiss. “Where are Charlie and Chris? Still sleepin’?”

 

Melanie locked the door and sighed, “Charlie was throwing a fit about it raining,” she shook her head. “Chris told her that we’re not going to the park until the rain stops and she had a minor meltdown.”

 

At that moment, Chris and Charlotte came out of the bedroom, looking somewhat better than just a few minutes previously.

 

“Hey Charlie girl,” Jim smiled, as he sat on the floor with the twins. “Why the long face, Princess?”

 

Charlotte went to him, accepting the bear hug that he had to offer. “I wanna see Cindy-rella,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

 

Jim kissed the top of her head, “I wanna see her too,” he nodded. “Cindy’s probably upset that it’s raining too, but this gives her time to look extra pretty for you.”

 

She looked up at him with a frown, “Cindy totally knows that you’re here to see her and all her friends, so she’s going to take the extra time today to look extra pretty.”

 

“Really?” Charlotte gasped, as he nodded. “Then I should look extra pretty for her too!”

 

“First,” Chris held his hand up. “We’re going to eat breakfast and then we’ll come back up here to get ready.”

 

Charlotte opened her mouth to protest when Chris shot her a warning look, “We need to eat before we do anything, Charlie. Because we wont be eating again until much later today.”

 

Jim nodded, “Let’s get your shoes on,” he said, as Melanie made her way around them. “And Mommy needs to put on some pants before she scares everyone away with her underwear.”

 

She scowled at him, while Charlotte giggled. “We’ll head down in five minutes, that way you guys can get your shoes on and everything,” Leonard nodded, moving to sit on the sofa. “Can you girls get your shoes? Uncle Bones and Uncle Jim here will get them on for ya.”

 

The twins and Charlotte ran off into their room, Joanna following close behind, while Chris and Melanie went into theirs to get dressed.

 

“The first tantrum she throws at the park, I’m brining her back to the room,” Chris warned, as Melanie tugged on a pair of cotton shorts. “It’s going to be too hot to deal with her attitude today or any day this week.”

 

“Chris, I know,” Melanie glanced up at him. “Yesterday was a long day and we didn’t get home until one this morning.”

 

They finished getting ready, grabbing their room keys and wallets, before pulling their door open. “Let’s just get enough food into them now and come back up to finish getting ready for the park,” she said, as the twins ran around the sitting room. “Ready to eat?”

 

“HUNGEEEEE!!!!” Sophia squealed, jumping up and down near the door. “HUNGEE!”

 

“I think Sophie will enjoy eating the most on this trip,” Joanna giggled, as she picked the toddler up. “Right Soph? You’re gonna eat all the yummy food?”

 

………..

 

The rain finally tapered off around ten-thirty, as the kids finished drinking their juices and the last of their Mickey shaped waffles and bacon. It took twenty minutes to get the kids back upstairs and dressed for the day, before meeting Leonard, Jim and Joanna by the exit to the bus stops.

 

“Mommy, that’s too much!” Charlotte gasped, as Melanie sprayed her arms with sunscreen. “It’s cold!

 

“You have to put a lot on, Charlie,” Melanie said, as she turned her around to get the backs of her legs. “The sun is a lot stronger here than it is at home.

 

By the time she was done attacking the kids and Chris with the sunscreen canister, the bus for Magic Kingdom arrived at their stop. Once they finally boarded, Charlotte sat near the window and watched as the bus went down the streets of the property.

 

“Don’t put your nose on the glass,” Leonard said, as he pulled her back lightly. “How about I sit there and you sit on my lap? That way you can look out the window?”

 

Across from them, Chris sat with Olivia, while Melanie fixed the pigtails on Sophia. “Are you excited?” he asked Olivia, as she babbled. “You’re gonna see so many cool things today!”

 

“Dahdeeee, I see ‘Iggy?” she asked, as he pushed the escaped curls away from her forehead.

 

“We’ll look for the pigs,” he nodded, as she beamed at him. “You’re going to be good for us?”

 

Olivia nodded, “I see Mickey wif Pia!” she squealed, turning to look at her sister. “Pia! We see Mickey!”

 

“Mickey! Mickey!” Sophia screeched, clapping her hands. “Mama! Mickey!”

 

“I know!” she smiled at her. “We’re going to see Mickey and Minnie. Maybe some princesses and everyone else!”

 

There was a loud squeal on the bus, followed by “LOOK! LOOK!” as Charlotte tapped the window with her hand. “Mommy! Daddy! It’s Cindy-rella’s house!”

 

Sure enough, as the bus made it’s way into Magic Kingdom, the top of Cinderella’s castle could be seen; the gold top shining in the summer sun, against the bright blue sky. It was a major difference from the night before, as the lights illuminated against the grey stone, turning the castle into a bright shade of purple as the parade and fireworks took place.

 

“Oh my goodness!” Charlotte continued. “Uncle Bones! We gets to see Cindy-rella’s house!”

 

Leonard snorted, as he held onto her, trying to get her to quite down. “You need to be good for Cindy,” he said, as she turned to look at him. “We’ll have to get you an autograph book, that way she can sign in while your Mama takes your picture with her.”

 

“I think she’ll be good today,” Melanie whispered, as Charlotte gave Leonard a list of characters she’d hoped to see by the time the trip was over. “Especially if she wants that tie-dye cheesecake she saw this morning in the cafeteria.”

 

Chris nodded, “I just hope Cinderella’s out today or during our time here,” he shook his head, as the bus came to a stop. “Otherwise, we’ll never hear the end of it.”

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

They were only in the park for three hours before the first meltdown of the day began. After making their way through _Adventureland_ , taking in the decorative tropical style and riding _The Pirates of the Caribbean,_ they were off to _Frontierland and Liberty Square,_ when Sophia began her tantrum. It didn’t help that it was ninety-five degrees out, adding to the distress of one three year old.

 

“Ice pop!” she squealed, pointing to the ice cream cart that sat on the side of the walkway. “Dadee, I want ice pop!”

 

“No ice cream,” Chris shook his head, as they walked further away from the cart. “We’re going to have lunch in a little while.”

 

Ahead of them, Jim and Leonard walked with Olivia and Charlotte, while Joanna read the map in her hands. Melanie pushed the rented double stroller, which held the diaper bag and Jim’s backpack, along with their water bottles and other necessary items.

 

“No!!!!” Sophia whined. “Ice pop!”

 

“Sophia, I said no,” Chris said, shaking his head. “Come on now. You were being so good before.”

 

At that moment, Sophia’s face crumpled and tears welled up in her eyes. “Oh no,” Chris shook his head, groaning. “No, no, no.”

 

Melanie turned her attention from the others, onto Chris and frowned. “What’s wrong?” she asked, slowing down. “Please tell me she didn’t wet herself.”

 

“Dadeeeeee!” Sophia began to cry, as fat teardrops rolled down her cheeks.

 

“Christ,” he muttered, as they stopped walking. “Come on Sophia. You can have a ice pop later when we get back to the hotel.”

 

That only made it worse, as she began to wail, startling both her parents and the people around them. Up ahead, Leonard quickly turned back to look at them, and quickly halted the others from moving forward.

 

“What happened?” he asked, as the group made their way back to them. “Sophie darlin’, why are you cryin?”

 

“She wants ice cream,” Melanie sighed, as she dug through the diaper bag for the package of goldfish that she bought from home. “Here Sophie! How about some goldfish?”

 

“Fishie!” Olivia squealed, as Jim held onto her. “Fishie!”

 

Sophia shook her head, wailing harder as Chris tried to calm her down. “Ice popppp!!!” she managed to get out, hiccupping.

 

“Let’s go sit over there in the shade for a bit,” Jim suggested, nodding his head over to the benches that sat under a bunch of willow trees. “Five minute break, that way everyone can use the potty and drink some water.”

 

Moving off the crowded path, Melanie steered the stroller over to the bench and sat down, pulling the contraption closer to her.

 

“Who had to go potty?” she asked, digging through the diaper bag.

 

“Me!” Charlotte nodded, bouncing on her toes. “Mommy, I have to pee!”

 

Joanna placed her phone back into the pocket of her shorts, “I’ll take Charlie and Olivia,” she offered, as Jim stood with the toddler.

 

Sitting on the bench, Chris held onto Sophia as she cried, while Leonard unscrewed the cap off a bottle.

 

“I’ll wait for them outside the ladies room,” Jim nodded, as Melanie handed the clean pull up and wipes to Joanna. “Are you two going to be good for Joanna?”

 

Charlotte nodded and she hopped from one foot to the other, “I has to pee now!” she exclaimed.

 

With a promise to be back quickly, Jim ushered the girls across the walkway towards the restrooms, leaving them behind with a very cranky toddler.

 

“How about,” Leonard offered, when Sophia turned her head away from the water bottle. “We go on a fun ride? Then we’ll find a place to eat and you can have the biggest ice pop later?”

 

Sophia hiccupped, rubbing her eye with a clenched fist. “Ice pop now!” she pouted, her bottom lip trembling.

 

“You’re going to spoil your lunch if you have ice cream,” Chris sighed, as she sniffled. “If you can be good for the rest of the day, I’ll get you something even better.”

 

“Oh no, please don’t,” Melanie begged, as Sophia looked at him with a frown.

 

“How about a big ice cream sundae?” he asked. “Remember the lady that was making them behind the counter last night?”

 

Sophia inched closer to him, “Yum yum?” she asked, as he wiped her face with his hand. “Ice pop, yum yum.”

 

Chris nodded, “A big bowl of ice cream with all the stuff you want on top,” he said. “If you can be really good for Mommy and Daddy the rest of the time we’re here today, I’ll get you one after dinner.”

 

The little girl hiccupped again, pushing her face against his neck. “Dadee, I go see Buzz now.”

 

“Lord have mercy,” Leonard sighed, as he stood up. “I’m going to the bathroom before Charlotte throws a fit about us sitting here for too long.”

 

“We can see Buzz,” Chris chuckled, as Sophia nuzzled him with her nose. “First we’re going to see the country stuff that Mommy and Uncle Bones like.”

 

Melanie shook her head at him, “You’re putting her to bed tonight if you get her that ice cream,” she warned, as Joanna and the girls bustled back over to them. “And I’m not helping.”

 

“Mommy!” Charlotte exclaimed, as she reached the bench. “Joanna says there’s a choo-choo train ride that goes fast! I wanna go on it!”

 

As Melanie and Charlotte discussed the possibility of going on a fast-paced ride, Chris kept his eyes on the twins as they stuck close to him.

 

“Dadee?” Olivia called out, as she grabbed one of the water bottles off the seat of the stroller. “I drink.”

 

“What do you say?” Chris asked, as he opened the bottle for her.

 

“Pwease?” she pouted, while holding up the hem of her shirt. “Pweaseeee?”

 

He chuckled, “Come here,” he nodded. “And put your shirt down, Liv. Stop showing that little tummy off to everyone here.”

 

Olivia giggled as he handed her the water bottle, clutching it tightly in her hands and she drank. Once she was done, Olivia handed it back to him and watched as Sophia took a small sip.

 

“I’m going to take her to the bathroom,” Melanie said, as she stood up. “Before she really wets herself and has another melt down.”

 

Grabbing a pull up and the wipes, Melanie took Sophia from Chris and started across the walkway towards the bathrooms, just as Leonard was coming out of the men’s room.

 

“I see ‘Iggy?” Olivia asked, as Chris fixed her hair. “ “Iggy see me?”

 

“I don’t know, Liv,” Chris said, as he pulled her onto his lap. “Maybe “Iggy’s drinking a big, cold glass of juice right now.”

 

She giggled, “No Dadeee!” she said, as he kissed her cheek.

 

As they waited for Melanie and Sophia to return from the restrooms, Olivia sat quietly on Chris’s lap and took in her surroundings. In the distance, they heard people screaming, followed by a big splash.

 

“Wat’s dat?” Olivia asked, pointing at something in the distance. “Dadee!”

 

“I don’t know, Liv,” he said, as they heard another round of screams. “What the hell is that screaming?”

 

Jim snickered, “That’s _Splash Mountain,”_ he said, nodding. “The coolest ride in the park if you don’t mind me saying.”

 

Leonard rolled his eyes, “It’s a water ride,” he said, as Chris frowned. “I wouldn’t go on that until the very end because you’ll be soaked. And it’s not a ride for the twins, since it ain’t got the safety bar to keep them in the thing.”

 

“ “Ones!” Olivia squealed.

 

“You can swim in the big ol’ pool at the hotel, munchkin,” Leonard grinned, as he tweaked her nose. “Uncle Bones is gonna sit with you when everyone else goes on that train ride.”

 

Both Jim and Joanna groaned, “Come on, Daddy!” Joanna whined. “I promise it wont be bad this time!”

 

But Leonard shook his head, “Once was enough,” he stated. “I couldn’t even eat dinner after that one.”

 

“I know you wanna see Buzz,” Melanie said, as she sand Sophia made their way back towards them. “I wanna see him too. Then we’ll have to find Sully and Mike, that way you and Liv can take a picture with them.”

 

“After the choo-choo train ride, can we eats?” Charlotte asked, as she leaned against the stroller. “And rest our feets?”

 

Melanie set the wipes back into the diaper bag, as Sophia climbed up into the empty seat. “If everyone else is ready to eat after the ride, we can,” she nodded. “First lets see how long the wait is for the ride.”

 

Standing up, the group made their way through the park towards the _Big Thunder Mountain Railroad_ ride.

 

“I don’t think Olivia and Sophia can go on this one,” Jim said, reading the sign that posted outside. “Chris, are you sure you can handle this one? Says here that if you have a risk of a heart attack, you can’t go on.”

 

Chris rolled his eyes, “I’ll be fine,” he said, as Leonard parked the stroller near a bench. “Are you going to be okay with these two?”

 

“Please,” Leonard snorted, as he sat Olivia down on the bench. “This will be heaven compared to that contraption.”

 

“You’re going on Space Mountain, Daddy,” Joanna warned, ignoring his protests. “You promised me last time and you didn’t, so now you have to this time.”

 

Grumbling, Leonard sat on the bench with the twins, while the others went in to wait on line for the ride.

 

“Come on girls,” Leonard sighed, pulling the stroller closer to him. “Tell Uncle Bones which characters you wanna meet today.”

 

…………….

 

After the first full day of rides and shows, everyone decided to call it a day and head back to the hotel around six. With plans to eat dinner at the hotel, swim in the pool and turn in before eleven, everyone went off to get ready. Dinner was quick and easy, as the kids ate chicken nuggets again and watched their cartoons on the television that was mounted onto the wall near by.

 

“Daddy, are you going in the pool with me?” Charlotte asked, as they made their way towards the swimming pool.

 

“For a little bit,” he nodded, as she skipped. “But then I’ll sit with Sophia when Mommy goes in.”

 

Setting up camp on one of the lounge chairs, Melanie sat on a towel with Sophia, as she watched the kids in the pool. “You sure you don’t want to go in?” she asked the toddler.

 

“No swim!” Sophia shook her head, turning around to climb onto her. “No swim, Mama!”

 

Melanie sighed as Sophia hugged her tightly, before looking up at them. “Hey you two,” she smiled. “Jim and Len have Olivia in the pool,” she said.

 

“Sounds good,” Chris nodded, as he pulled off his shirt. “You ready, Charlie?”

 

The five year old nodded, “Yes!” she squealed. “Come on, Daddy!”

 

“Be good, Charlie!” Melanie warned. “No splashing and mind your manners!”

 

With a nod, Chris took Charlotte’s hand and led her to the pool, as Melanie sat with Sophia. After a long hot day, the evening temperature was slightly better; a cooler, seventy-eight degrees was the night time temperature, compared to the ninety-eight that engulfed Orlando by three-thirty that afternoon.

 

After an hour and a half, Chris climbed out of the pool and made his way back over to Melanie and the Sophia.

 

“Cold?” Melanie asked, as Sophia sat up to look at him.

 

“A little nippy,” he nodded, wiping his face down with a towel. “Hey Sophie girl. Are you being good for Mommy?”

 

She nodded, “Dadee, Ice pop now?” she asked, as he dried off. “Pwease?”

 

He chuckled, “Let’s get your ice cream,” he said, slipping his feet back into his shoes. “You want anything?”

 

“Water,” Melanie yawned. “And if they have a cup of fruit, that’ll be fine.”

 

Nodding, Chris took the food card from her and started back into the food court with Sophia. Ten minutes and one big carton of ice cream later, Sophia sat between his legs on the lounge chair, eating her ice cream with a happy smile.

 

“Oh my god,” Melanie shook her head, as the chocolate syrup was smeared across her face. “Chris, that is too much sugar for her!”

 

“Relax,” he chuckled, as Sophia ate. “You should’ve seen her face when the girl was making it for her. Her eyes were so wide! It was like she couldn’t believe that there were so many choices for ice cream toppings.”

 

Sophia turned and held up a sticky hand, “Dadee, eat!” she held up her spoon in the other.

 

Using a wet wipe, Chris cleaned her spoon-less hand and snorted. “You look like you went swimming in a pool of chocolate,” he said, as he beamed at him. “Mommy doesn’t look too happy that Daddy got this for you.”

 

“Mommy’s just waiting for you to cry when she’s running around at three in the morning,” Melanie shook her head. “We better start winding down for the evening. They all need baths and we need to get a good nights worth of sleep since we’re going to Animal Kingdom tomorrow.”

 

Chris nodded, “Maybe we’ll see some cool animals tomorrow, Soph,” he said, as she picked out the candies from her melting ice cream. “Some lions and giraffes.”

 

“Kitty?”

 

“Yes! The big cats!” he nodded, as Sophia squealed. “Then we’ll have dinner and go to Downtown Disney.”

 

Melanie stood up from the lounge chair and made her way over to the pool to wrangle the others in, as Chris cleaned off Sophie’s face. “Maybe we’ll find a piggy for Liv? And something for you?”

 

“O’Ivvie!” Sophia squealed, as the remains of her ice cream were moved aside. “O’Ivvie sweep wif me?”

  
Chris nodded, “You and Liv are going to sleep in a little bit,” he promised, as Jim helped the toddler out of the pool. “You’ll take a bath and then we’ll tuck you in.”

 

“Pia! Pia!” Olivia shouted, as she ran over to them. “Pia, I swim wif  ‘Im!”

 

The dripping swimmers grabbed their towels and dried off, wrapping them around their waists. “Cold as hell,” Leonard grumbled, running a hand through his hair. “Charlie over here’s gonna need a hot shower.”

 

“Which is exactly what we’re all gonna do!” Melanie said, as she packed up her bag. “Let’s get you guys cleaned up and into bed.”

 

“Mommy, my show is gonna be on!” Charlotte said, as she clutched the towel around her shoulders. “Can I watch it before bed? Please?”

 

She nodded, “But we have to move now before you miss it,” she warned, as Chris stood up with Sophia. “Are we all ready?”

 

Once everyone had their belongings, they started the trip back up to the rooms, happy to have survived the first day.  

 


	5. Chapter 5

“Daddy! Look at the diney-saur bones!” Charlotte squealed, as she held his hand. “Are they real?”

 

“I don’t know, kiddo,” he smiled, as they walked. “But they’re pretty big, huh?”

 

Charlotte nodded, holding onto his hand tightly as they walked through _Dinoland_ at _Animal Kingdom._ Next to them, Jim snapped pictures of everything in sight, while Leonard walked with Sophia on his shoulders.

 

“I know baby girl,” Leonard chuckled, as Olivia squealed. “Aren’t they cool?”

 

Joanna and Melanie walked with the stroller, as Sophia sat strapped inside with a water bottle on her lap.

 

“There’s a few rides here,” Joanna said as they walked past the entrance to _The Boneyard. “_ But it’s mostly rollercoasters and stuff that might be too much for Charlie and the twins.”

 

“There is a safari tour over in the Africa section,” Jim said, looking away from his camera. “You sit in a open jeep thing and they drive you through to see all the animals.”

 

Charlotte gasped, “I wanna see the kitty’s!” she nodded. “Can we do that?”

 

“We will do that,” Chris nodded, as they walked. “Let’s just enjoy the walk and see what’s on the way, Charlie. This park isn’t open all day like the others.”

 

“Why?” she asked, frowning up at him. “Do the baby animals go to sleep early?”

 

Melanie giggled, “Yup,” she nodded. “That way they can grow big and strong out in the wilderness. Just like you and your sisters go to bed early at home!”

 

The scenery began to change from dinosaur related to Asian, as they moved into the next section of the park.

 

“Dad! Can we go on _Everest_ again?” Joanna asked, side skipping to get his attention. “Please???”

 

Jim chuckled, “Did you really think I would come to this park and _not_ go on that ride?” he asked, as Joanna squealed. “Bonesy, you going this time?”

 

“Why did I take the motion sickness pills this morning?” he asked, as Olivia clapped her hands. “Thank god I bought enough to last me through the rest of the week.”

 

“What kind of ride is that?” Chris asked, as Melanie unfolded the park map from the cup holder.

 

Melanie scanned the map and read the description of the ride, “A high-speed train ride, through a mountain in which the Yeti lives,” she read. “I don’t think the girls are going to be able to go on that one.”

 

“Awwww!” Charlotte pouted. “Can we see the animals then?”

 

“They have a monkey house right in the middle of the lake nearby,” Joanna offered. “You can see the lemurs and little baby monkeys hanging out.”

 

Sophia squealed from the stroller. “Mama! Monkeeeee!” she screeched.

  
“Do you want me to take them to see the monkeys?” Chris asked, as they reached the rollercoaster.

 

“I’ll go with you,” she said, as Leonard pulled Olivia down off his shoulders. “I’m not going on all these rides and leaving you to wait out here for us.”

 

Chris took Olivia and nestled her against his hip, “If you want to go on the ride you can,” he said, as Olivia babbled.

 

Melanie gave him a stern look, “I’m going with you and the girls to see the monkey house,” she said. “Besides, if Len decides to throw up during the ride, I don’t want to be in the path of projectile vomit.”

 

“Hey!” Leonard exclaimed, as Joanna giggled.

 

“We will meet you at the monkey house,” Jim beamed at them, wrapping his arm through Leonard’s. “Let’s go, honeybuns. Off to see the yeti!”

 

………..

 

By a quarter to three, a majority of the park had been covered. After trekking through animals houses and taking the safari ride through the open lands of the park, they had five minutes to spare to make it to their late-lunch reservations at _Rainforest Café._

“Did you guys have fun seeing all the animals?” Melanie asked, as she placed the diaper bag under the chair.

 

“”Iggy!!!” Olivia squealed, throwing her hands up in the air. “I see “Iggy!”

 

“The baby giraffe was so cute!” Charlotte beamed. “I want a baby giraffe!”

 

Chris chuckled, “You want a lot of animals,” he said, as the waitress came by to collect their drink orders. “How about we stick to the two cats and the three frogs?”

Another twenty minutes went by as everyone figured out what they wanted to eat, handing in their orders and menus back to the girl.

 

“Dadee!” Sophia gasped, tugging on his shirt. “Dadee!”

 

“What?” he asked, turning to her. “Oh, the monkeys! Look how he’s hanging up there.”

 

“This place is really cool,” Leonard nodded, taking in the decorum of the restaurant. “I like this rainforest feel they got goin’ on.”

 

Melanie smiled, “That’s why Jim and I picked it,” she said, looking pleased with herself. “I figured the kids would get a kick out of all the animal things and the menu sounded good.”

 

“Can we get the monkey doll after we eat?” Charlotte asked. “Please?”

 

“If you’re really good during lunch, you can get the monkey doll,” Chris nodded. “But you have to be really good and eat your lunch. Can you do that?”

 

Charlotte nodded frantically, “Yes Daddy!” she exclaimed. “I can do that!”

 

Melanie laughed, “Whatever happened to the “budget” on the souvenirs?” she asked. “I mean, we’re still hitting that massive store in _Downtown Disney_ tonight. You know the three of them are going to be crazy.”

 

“One monkey doll isn’t going to hurt,” he insisted, as the waitress came back with the rest of the drinks and the appetizers. “And they’ve been good all day so far, which is amazing because that never happens.”

 

“It’s the animals,” Jim nodded. “Kids love animals and seeing them keeps them occupied.”

 

Leonard nodded, “I mean, look how Liv was when she saw those boars!” he chuckled. “Thank god we videotaped that one!”

 

“Did you see the piggy?” Joanna asked, tickling Olivia lightly. “Those piggy’s were BIG!”

 

“And stinky,” Melanie said, her nose wrinkling up. “Big and stinky.”

 

Olivia squealed and wiggled in her seat, “Iggy wuv me!” she nodded, as Joanna fixed her shirt. “ “Oh! “Iggy wuv me!”

 

Joanna smiled, “I know the piggy loves you,” she said, kissing her cousin on the forehead. “We’ll have to find you a piggy to take home and cuddle with later.”

While the adults chatted about plans for later, Joanna supervised the girls as they colored on the paper menus that were given to them. After another twenty minutes of waiting, the food finally arrived, much to their relief.

 

“So,” Melanie said, as she squirted ketchup out for Charlotte’s fries. “Who wants to do date night first? Granted, it’s only Tuesday, but you know the week is going to fly.”

 

“You guys can do date night first,” Leonard shrugged, as he cut into his chicken. “You two were the ones that planned this whole thing in the first place.”

 

Jim nodded, “You guys go!” he said. “Let your hair down and enjoy the night without the kids!”

 

Charlotte giggled, “Mommy are you and Daddy going in a pumpkin carriage?” she asked, biting into a dinosaur shaped chicken nugget.

 

“Maybe,” she smiled at her. “Are you going to help Mommy find a ball gown in her bag?”

 

“If we don’t have dinner reservations tomorrow, we could go,” Chris shrugged. “That way you guys can have the rest of the week to pick a day.”

 

Jim nodded, “We can go Friday!” he said, reaching for the saltshaker. “We have no dinner plans that night, since you and Mel are taking the kids back to Magic Kingdom for your reservations at the _Crystal Palace_.”

 

“Isn’t that the place we’re going tomorrow?” Chris asked, as he wiped off Sophia’s face with a napkin.

 

“Yes,” Melanie said. “But it’s cute and everyone says it’s one of the best places to eat here.”

 

Olivia giggled as the fake monkey in the tree shook, “Pia!” she squeaked.

 

“So Friday night you guys will have your date night and tomorrow Mel and I will have ours,” Chris nodded. “Good?”

 

“Perfecto!” Jim beamed.

 

…………

 

“Did we all have fun today?” Chris asked, as he picked up the damp towels off the floor.

 

“Yes!” Charlotte squealed, as she crawled around on her bed. “Did you have fun, Daddy?”

 

He chuckled; “I sure did!” he nodded, as he cleared off the floor of dirty clothes and toys. “Where’s Liv?”

 

They shrugged, “Okay well, I’m going to put your TV on so you can watch some cartoons for a bit,” he said, as he took the remote off the nightstand.

 

Snuggling together on the one bed, Sophia and Charlotte held onto their new stuffed animals and zoned in on an old episode of Phineus and Ferb, while Chris went to search for Olivia.

 

“There you are,” he chuckled, as he stepped into the other bedroom. “What are you doing, Liv?”

 

Olivia looked up at him and yawned, “Dadee, I sweep,” she mumbled, clutching her new pig.

 

Lying out on the bed, Chris wrapped his arm around her and sighed. “You like that pig, huh?” he asked, as she clutched it closer to her. “You look so sleepy, baby.”

 

“Sweepy,” she yawned again, pressing her nose into the pink pig.

 

The bathroom door opened, allowing the roar of the fan to filter out, as Melanie finished getting ready for bed. Stepping out, Chris watched as she hung the bath towel on a hanger to dry. Tossing the dirty clothes into the suitcase, Melanie turned and paused, watching as Olivia and her pig slept next to him.

 

“Somebody had a little too much fun today,” she said, moving over to the bed. “It’s a good thing we got that pig, otherwise we’d be dealing with one unhappy baby.”

 

“I don’t think she’s ever seen a toy pig this big before,” he chuckled, as Olivia managed to wrap both her arms and legs around the toy. “We may have difficulties with her leaving it behind in the room tomorrow morning.”

 

Sitting down, Melanie towel tried her hair and watched as Olivia cuddled with her toy. “Do you want me to move her into the other room?” she asked, dropping the towel onto her lap.

 

Chris shook his head, “She’s fine for now,” he said, reaching for the remote. “The other two are in there watching cartoons.”

 

Melanie nodded, “I’m going to check on them and lock up for the night,” she said, pulling her hair back into a bun.

 

“Okay,” he nodded, as she headed out of the room.

 

Olivia sat up, dragging her toy with her, as she moved up the bed. “What are you up to?” he asked, as she settled the toy next to him.

 

“I sweep wif you,” she mumbled, dropping her head down onto the toy. “Nigh, Nigh.”

  
Chris couldn’t help but smile as Olivia snuggled onto her pig, her heavy eyelids dropping. “Okay,” he said quietly, wrapping his arm around her little body. “Goodnight, Livvie.”

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

A squeal followed by a the patter of feet on the carpet made Leonard groan, as the twins ran out from Joanna’s room and into the sitting room.

 

“What is all the running for?” he asked, as they made their way over to him. “You two are too hyperactive tonight!”

 

“That’s because Dad is taking them to get a snack,” Joanna sighed, as she carried Charlotte out. “We’re all going down to get something if you want to come with us.”

 

Leonard sighed, “I might as well,” he said, pulling himself up from the sofa. “The two of you are getting crackers and that’s it.”

 

“No!” Sophia stomped her foot. “Ice pop!”

 

“Easy with the stomping, Soph,” Jim snickered, as he came out of the bedroom. “Are we ready to go?”

 

Shoving his feet into a pair of shoes, Leonard grabbed his wallet off the table and started towards the door. “Mellie’s gonna kill you if you give them more sugar than they can handle,” he warned, pulling the door open. “I ain’t savin’ ya either when she does it.”

 

……….

 

“I’m sorry, but the wait to get in is a little over two hours,” the hostess said, giving the couple a somewhat sympathetic look. “We’re currently not taking anymore names down for tables.”

 

Melanie nodded, “That’s okay,” she said, giving her a small smile. “Thank you.”

 

Pulling Chris lightly by the hand, they made their way out of the very crowded restaurant.

 

“Do you want to check the other place?” Chris asked, as they started walking. “Maybe the wait wont be too long by now.”

 

“Chris, we don’t have to eat at some fancy place,” she said. “I should’ve planned this out a bit better and made a reservation before hand.”

 

He wrapped his arm around her waist, “It’s not your fault,” he insisted, as she sighed. “Do you want to check the other place?”

 

Melanie shook her head, “How about we just get a burger from McDonalds over there?” she suggested, nodding to the fast food joint. “It’s quick and just as good.”

 

“That’s not really romantic,” Chris frowned.

 

“Honey, being out without the kids is romantic enough,” she sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Besides, we still have tonight to be as romantic as we can. I gave Jim twenty bucks to keep the girls over night.”

 

Chris shook his head, “Is that why we sent them off with their backpacks?” he asked, as she nodded. “Poor Jo. She’s not getting any sleep tonight with the three of them in there.”

 

They turned at the corner on the path and headed back towards the front entrance of _Downtown Disney,_ where the fast food joint sat.

  
“Well it was either send them off to harass their Uncles or no sex,” she shrugged. “And I really want to have sex later.”

 

“My god,” Chris snorted, as he pulled the door open. “You act like we don’t’ have enough of it.”

 

Melanie pouted, “Friday was the last time we did it,” she said. “That’s a long time in my book.”

 

They stepped up behind a young couple with three rowdy kids, “Well, you better hurry with the shopping you want to do after this,” he warned. “Because as soon as we get back, you know your brother is going to be kicking our door down to return the kids.”

 

“He would never,” Melanie huffed. “If he wants his date night on Friday, he better keep them until tomorrow morning.”

 

…………..

 

“Aren’t you tired?” Jim asked, as Sophia stood on the lounge chair. “You’ve been up since seven thirty, driving your parents crazy.”

 

“No sweep!” she shook her head. “I pway wif you!”

 

Jim sighed as Leonard dropped down into the chair next to his, “You’re doing a lot more eating than playing,” he pointed out, as she shoved another cookie into her mouth.

 

“Laundry’s in the dryer,” Leonard sighed, lying out on the chair. “I called Hikaru to see how everything was at home. He and Julie just got back from checking up on the cats and frogs, and ended up staying there for two hours.”

 

“Why?” Jim frowned.

 

Leonard yawned, “He felt bad,” he shrugged. “Said the cats were meowing like crazy and rubbing up all over him and Julie. So they sat and played with them, until Louisa called to see where they were.”

 

“Uh oh,” Jim gasped, as Sophia wobbled on the chair. “Your kitty cats miss you!”

 

“Oh no!!” Sophia shook her head. “Oh no! Oh no!”

 

He snorted, pulling her down for a kiss on the cheek. “Let’s lay down and look up at the stars,” he said. “Eat your cookies and look at the stars.”

 

“I am praying to whatever God there is, that Charlie and Liv are out cold upstairs,” he sighed. “Joanna’s supposed to text me when they do.”

 

“Well, they were just about on their way to dreamland when we left,” Jim pointed out. “I’m surprised they lasted thirteen hours without taking an afternoon nap.”

 

“They met Woody and Buzz,” Leonard chuckled. “Those two along with the Monsters Inc. guys were enough to keep them buzzing around for all that time.”

 

Sophia squealed, “Buzz! ‘Ones we sees Buzz!”

 

Leonard smiled, “I know you did, baby girl,” he said, as she reached out for him. “Tomorrow we’ll see so many more characters at Epcot to fill up that book of yours.”

 

The toddler yawned widely, clutching a cookie in one hand, while the other went up to rub her eye.

 

“Uh oh,” Jim tutted. “I think you’ll be tucked into bed when we get back upstairs.”

 

“No sweep!”

 

“Yes sleep,” Jim nodded. “I’ll read you a story and then we’ll go night night. First we have to wait for the laundry to dry and then we’ll go upstairs.”

 

………….

 

Melanie groaned, rolling onto her back, as the knocking continued. “Shit…” she mumbled, pushing her palm against her forehead.

 

Next to her, Chris pulled the pillow down over his head, cursing. “Whoever’s doing that is getting thrown in the pool,” he said, his voice muffled.

 

“I’ll get it,” Melanie sighed, as she pushed the blankets off. “It’s probably the girls.”

 

Pulling herself out of bed, Melanie grabbed her nightshirt off the chair and pulled it over her head. On the floor, her underwear sat like a discarded napkin, after being ripped off sometime after she and Chris arrived back. Slipping them on, Melanie pulled the bedroom door closed and made her way over to the front door.

 

She could hear the giggling on the other side, as the knocking continued, followed by a “One more knock and you’re gonna be in big trouble,” from Leonard. Unlocking the locks, Melanie pulled the door open and quickly raised her hand to block out the sunlight.

 

“Whoa!” Jim gasped, as she moved back to let them in. “Mommy partied a little to hard last night, huh?”

 

“Mommy! Mommy!” Charlotte squealed, as she wrapped her arms around her bare legs. “I missed you!”

 

Melanie reached down and patted her head, “I missed you too,” she said, clearing her throat. “Did you guys have fun last night?”

 

Taking Olivia from Leonard, Melanie dropped a quick kiss on her cheek, before resting her against her hip. “Did they give you any trouble?” she asked.

 

“Charlie and Liv were good,” Leonard nodded, as Sophia babbled. “But Sophia on the other hand…”

 

“We had to bribe her in order to get her to relax,” Jim shrugged. “Bones and I took her down to get cookies and we sat on the lounge chair while he did laundry.”

 

Melanie nodded, “I’m guess you left Charlie and Liv with Jo then?” she asked, getting a nod in response. “And Jo’s still sleeping?”

 

“Poor girl had to share a bed with Sophia,” Leonard shook his head. “Sophia was literally on top of her when I went in to wake them.”

 

“Mommy? Where’s Daddy?” Charlotte asked, as she set her backpack down on the floor.

 

Jim snorted as Melanie blushed, “Daddy’s taking a bath,” she said quickly, setting Olivia down on the floor. “How about you three go and take your bags into your room? Take the dirty clothes out and put them into the suitcase with the others.”

 

Once the girls were in their room, Melanie turned to look at her brother and brother-in-law. “Thank you for keeping them over night,” she sighed, rubbing a hand across her face.

 

“How fucked up did you two get?” Jim asked. “You look like you did a bar crawl instead of a simple dinner date.”

 

“Dinner ended up being fast food and we got drinks at the bar downstairs before heading back up,” she shrugged. “The last thing I remember was my panties flying across the room and that’s it.”

 

Leonard shook is head, “Did you two even have sex last night?” Jim asked. “I pray that you did because you had the perfect opportunity to be loud and crazy.”

  
Melanie nodded, “Yes, we managed to have sex,” she said.

 

“How?” Leonard shook his head. “You don’t even remember anything after your panties took a flying leap across the room.”

 

She glared up at him, while Jim snickered. “You can still have sex with your underwear on, Lenny,” she hissed. “I think we might’ve had a quickie sometime early this morning too.”

 

Jim howled with laughter, clapping her on the shoulder. “Atta girl!” he grinned. “Lettin’ that freak flag fly, under the watchful eye of Mickey!”

 

“Is Chris even alive in there?” Leonard asked, nodding to the closed door of their room. “Are you two gonna be able to make it out today? The kids want to get to Epcot so they see all the countries.”

 

“Give us a half and hour and we’ll be showered and dressed,” Melanie begged. “Cut me some slack, Lenny. It was the first time in months that Chris and I got to have sex more than once, with the kids over in your room.”

 

He shook his head, “Then Jo’s spending the night here on Friday,” he warned.

  
Melanie held up her hands, “Yes, yes,” she nodded. “I would never keep you from getting pounded into the mattress by Jim over here.”

 

“Mama! I hungee!” Olivia squealed, as she ran out of the room. “Eat now!”

 

“Do you want us to take them down for breakfast?” Jim asked, as Olivia clung to Melanie’s leg. “That way you and the sex machine can get ready?”

 

Ignoring the immature nickname towards Chris, Melanie nodded. “I’ll give you our card so you can put the food for the kids on it,” she said. “Uncle Bones and Uncle Jim are going to take you two down to eat.”

 

Olivia nodded, “Dadee?” she asked, blinking up at her.

  
“Daddy and I will join you shortly,” she promised, as the other two came out. “Let me go get the card and I’ll text you when we’re on the way down.”

 

Jim and Leonard nodded as they scooped up the twins, “Don’t take too long,” Leonard warned, as she started back towards the bedroom. “We’ve got a lot of countries to travel to and people to see.”

 

Charlotte giggled, “We’re going to see Alice, Mommy!” she said. “Bring my picture book so she can color in it!”

 

“I will,” Melanie nodded, as she stepped into the bedroom quickly, grabbing her wallet off the table. “Here we go. Go on and eat something yummy and we’ll be down soon.”

 

Taking the card, Jim gave her a quick wink and pulled the door open. “If you’re not down after a half an hour, I will assume that you two are playing,” he warned, as Charlotte and Leonard went out. “Play nice.”

 

…………..

 

The couple managed to shower and drag themselves downstairs for breakfast twenty minutes later, just as the kids dug into their waffles.

 

“Shit Chris,” Jim whistled, as the older man sat down next to Charlotte. “You want me to get you some coffee?”

 

“Please,” he yawned, resting his arm along the back of the chair next to him. “Black with two sugars.”

 

Jim nodded and stood up, just as Joanna took a seat with her tray. “Daddy!” Charlotte squealed, leaning over to hug him. “Are you going to get breakfast?”

 

He nodded, “As soon as Uncle Jim brings back some coffee, I’ll go with Mommy to get food,” he said, as she pulled a soggy waffle apart. “Did you have fun last night?”

 

As Charlotte retold the events from the night before, Leonard arrived with a tray holding his and Jim’s plates. “Well,” he shook his head, sitting down. “I pray that you can make it til lunch.”

 

Chris glared at him, as Charlotte spoke. “And then we can see Alice and I hope Jasmine and Aladdin are there too!”

 

“That sounds like fun,” Chris nodded, giving her a small smile. “Hopefully tomorrow we’ll finally see Cindy that way you can get your picture with her.”

 

“Here we go,” Jim said, announcing his arrival. “One black coffee and two sugars. Drink up, buttercup.”

 

Setting the cup down and sugar packets down, Jim took his seat back and picked up his fork. “And I would stick to something like waffles,” he said, pointing to what the girls were eating. “No eggs or anything dairy.”

 

Melanie whimpered, “I know I should eat, but I’m dreading it,” she admitted, as Sophia smeared syrup on her face.

 

“Just eat as much as you can,” Leonard shrugged. “We’re not in any rush to go, so take your time.”

 

Chris took a big gulp of his coffee and set it down on the table, “Ready?” he asked, looking across the table at Melanie.

 

With a slow nod, they both stood from the table, lacing their hands together as they walked in to the food court.

 

“Why does Daddy look sick?” Charlotte asked, as she licked her fingers. “Does his tummy hurt?”

 

“Ah, he’ll be fine,” said Jim. “Once he eats and drinks more of his adult drink, he’ll be ready to go. The same goes for Mommy.”

 

She nodded, “If is tummy starts hurting, do we have to give him medy-cine?”

 

Next to her, Olivia belched and giggled. “Nice one, Liv,” Leonard chuckled, as she covered her mouth with a sticky hand. “If we have to get your Daddy some medicine, then we will. But he should be fine once we get on the bus.”

 

“Kay!” Charlotte nodded, picking up her fork.

 

“I’ll be you twenty bucks and a back massage, that Chris barfs when we hit Italy” Jim wagered, before whispering: “I’ll add ten and a blowjob if he tosses his cookies in Japan.”

 

Leonard scowled, “Make it forty and barfing in Mexico,” he shot back, ignoring the grin that Jim gave him. “Now eat your food, Jim. I don’t want to hear you complaining how hungry you are once we get there.”

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

“This is where Uncle Spock and Aunt Nyota live!” Charlotte squealed, as they stepped into Canada. “It’s so pretty!”

 

After spending a good portion of the afternoon “globe trotting” and having lunch in the United Kingdom showcase, the group started to feel the effects of exhaustion due to the heat, walking and two hangovers. Jim won his bet, much to Leonard’s disappointment, as Chris excused himself in Japan and ran to the men’s room. It took twenty minutes for him to come out of the bathroom, looking pale and shaky after tossing up breakfast.

 

They took another twenty minutes to relax, while Leonard and Jim took the kids, minus Olivia, into the shop.

 

“Dadee owie,” Olivia pouted, as she patted his knee lightly. “Wahwah, Mama!”

 

Drinking almost half of a water bottle, Chris felt slightly better once the others stepped out of the shop with a few shopping bags between them all.

 

“I gots Julie a Hello Kitty toy!” Charlotte squealed, as Melanie stored the shopping bags in the undercarriage. “We has to get a Mickey pencil for school still!”

 

Once Chris reassured everyone that he was fine, they left Japan and hit all the other countries in-between, letting the kids run around under supervision, to explore. By the time they had lunch, Chris was more tired than anything else, ordering a light lunch and water.

 

“When we go back to the hotel, you’ll lay down and relax,” Melanie said, as the kids bickered over what show they would watch later. “No more drinking for the rest of this vacation.”

 

After leaving the lovely United Kingdom, a quick photo op with Alice stood in their way to Canada, as Charlotte squealed in delight at seeing one of her favorite characters, it was a little after four-thirty.

 

“You know what they eat in Canada?” Jim asked, as Charlotte and the twins looked at him. “ _Canadian_ bacon and maple syrup.”

 

“They eat it together?!” Charlotte gasped, as Leonard chuckled. “Ewwww!”

 

Jim pouted, “It’s actually really good together,” he said, looking wounded at Charlotte’s outburst.

 

Charlotte gasped, “Don’t be sad, Uncle Jim,” she begged, wrapping her arms around his legs. “I’ll make you Canadian bacon and maple syrup cuppycakes when I’m grown up.”

 

“I look forward to it,” Jim beamed down at her. “Let’s take a look around and take some pictures, that way we can send them to Aunt Nyota and Uncle Spock.”

 

While Joanna took Sophia and Olivia by the hands, Leonard and Jim led Charlotte around the showcase, marveling over everything before them.

 

“How do you feel?” Melanie asked, as she pushed the stroller. “You wanna sit and realx while they look?”

 

He shook his head, “I’ll be fine,” he sighed, picking up the water bottle. “They still want to do the Nemo ride that’s one the way out, so I don’t want to put a damper on things.”

 

“Chris, if you don’t feel good, we can always come back tomorrow or Saturday,” Melanie insisted. “I don’t want you to make yourself feel worse and have to spend the next two days in bed.”

 

“Mel, it’s a hangover, not a death sentence,” he huffed. “I’ll take a nap and I should be fine by dinner.”

 

Melanie nodded, “Fine,” she said, turning her attention back to the kids.

 

Chris sighed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, “I’m sorry,” he said, as she sighed. “It’s been a long day and it’s hot as hell out here.”

 

“Then lets sit down over there on that bench,” said Melanie, nodding to the vacant area. “It’s under a bunch of trees and it’ll probably feel a hell of a lot better than in the sun.”

 

Nodding, they headed towards the bench, while Sophia and Olivia tried to look into a pond.

 

“Fishie!” Sophia squealed, as Leonard stood close behind them. “Fishie! Hi! Hi!!!”

 

Sitting down, Melanie pulled the stroller close to the bench and sat back, giving Chris the opportunity to wrap his arm around her shoulders.

 

“Jim and Lenny are taking Jo to dinner tonight at some restaurant she wanted to go to,” Melanie said, as they watched the kids. “So it’s gonna be us and the kids tonight.”

 

“Hmm,” he nodded, as she leaned forward to rest her head against his chest. “I say we order up a pizza and watch cartoons.”

 

She snorted, “That actually sounds like a good idea,” she admitted. “Then I can run down and get some cookies or a piece of cake for them to munch on. Hopefully they’ll all go to bed early tonight and we can just relax in peace.”

“And tomorrow we have early reservations for dinner and then we’ve got Jo for the night?” he asked, as she nodded. “What do you want to do tomorrow?”

 

“We can do Magic Kingdom again,” she shrugged. “Hopefully Cinderella will be out again and we still have to see Ariel and Merida at their little autograph stations. And they want to do the Buzz Lightyear ride again for the fifth time.”

 

Chris chuckled, “I actually like that ride,” he said. “If it doesn’t rain tomorrow night we can go down to the pool with the kids and Jo.”

 

Melanie looked up at him and smiled, “Sounds like fun,” she whispered, as a collective squeal broke out.

 

“Mama!”

 

“Dadee!”

 

They both turned to find Sophia and Olivia standing before them, their hair damp with sweat and their faces flushed.

 

“Look at you two,” Melanie shook her head, as she pulled Sophia onto her lap. “Let’s fix your hair and drink some water.”

 

“Dadee! I see fishie!” Olivia said, as he cradled her in his arms. “Fishie swim in wahwah!”

 

Chris gasped, “They did?” he asked, feigning shock, as she giggled. “Speaking of fishies and water, are you guys excited to see the Nemo ride?”

 

They both nodded enthusiastically, while their parents fixed up their hair and gave them water to hydrate.

  
“Next summer, can we go see Uncle Spock and Aunt Nyota?” Charlotte asked, as she and the others came over to them.

 

“Maybe,” Leonard smiled at her. “But we’ll have to learn French first, because that’s what they speak there!”

 

Jim went to the stroller and opened his backpack, “Are we almost ready to go to Nemo?” he asked, pulling out a water bottle. “That way your old man here can take a nap, while you three cause havoc on hotel property.”

 

Melanie shot him a warning look, “Don’t rile them up,” she warned, as she and Chris set the twins down on their feet. “Let’s get going so we don’t have to wait on a long ride!”

 

“Yay!! Nemo!” Charlotte squealed, jumping up and down. “Daddy, can you sit with me on the ride?”

 

Chris stood up and took her outstretched hand, “I would be delighted to,” he said, smiling at her. “Let’s go, my little mermaids!”

 

…………….

 

By seven, Chris was feeling much better after taking a nap and a hot shower. With Jim, Leonard and Joanna out to dinner, it was a little harder getting the kids to settle in for dinner, especially when it was to be consumed in the room.

 

“Why can’t we go downstairs?” Charlotte asked, as Melanie went to answer the door. “The food market has yummy food!”

 

“We ordered pizza,” Chris said, as he shook a towel out, laying it across the carpet. “Tonight we’re going to eat in here and watch cartoons and then Mommy will go down to get cookies.”

 

Melanie tipped the deliveryman and close the door behind her, “Mmmmhmmm, smells yummy!” she smiled, setting the boxes onto the table. “And we even got a bottle of soda!”

 

Setting the girls down on the towel, the pizza was divided and handed out on the paper plates that were provided. Soda went into their Disney mugs and was monitored, as the kids ate.

 

“Pizza isn’t so bad,” Chris shrugged, setting the crust down on the plate. “I don’t know why Jim was whining about how gross it is.”

“It’s not the _worst_ pizza, but it’s not as great as the one in New York,” she shrugged, while Chris nodded. “But it was good nonetheless.

 

Chris nodded and turned to look at the girls, “Are we done?” he asked, as Sophia stood up with her plate.

 

“More!” she squeaked, holding her plate out. “More!”

 

“More pizza?” Chris asked, as Melanie opened the box. “You’re not gonna have any room in that belly for cookies later.”

 

Charlotte stood with her dish and handed it to him, “I’m done,” she nodded, licking her lips. “Can I put the TV on?”

 

He nodded, “Remote is on that table right there,” he said, nodding towards the sofa. “What about you Liv? You want more pizza?”

 

She shook her head, “Toon!” she demanded, as Charlotte held the remote. “ ‘Arie! Toon!

 

“Daddy, I don’t know what button to push,” Charlotte said, as Olivia tried to pull the remote from her hands. “Stop it!”

 

“Here,” Chris said, standing up. “Go with Mommy and Sophie and wash your hands.”

 

As Melanie led the girls to the bathroom, Chris turned the television on and quickly switched to the Disney channel that was a constant source of entertainment during their time in the room. Setting the remote on top of the television, Chris went back to cleaning up.

 

“Pony!” Sophia shrieked, as she spotted the horse on the screen. “O’Ivivie! Pony!”

 

“Ohhhh! Tangled!” Charlotte squealed, as she ran over to the sofa. “My favorite movie!”

 

As the girls settled down on the sofa, a blanket from one of the beds covering them, Chris and Melanie turned the lights down in the sitting room and went into their own room to relax.

 

“Be good and do not open the front door,” Melanie warned. “If you guys get hungry, you come and you tell us. Understood?”

 

“Yes Mommy!” Charlotte nodded, as she and the girls snuggled. “If we’re hungry, we has to tell you and Daddy first!”

 

Melanie smiled and nodded, “Good girl!” she praised. “Try to keep it down and no fighting. IF you need us, we’ll be in here.”

 

Stepping into the room, Chris closed the door halfway before moving towards the bed.

 

“I think tomorrow night, I’ll do some laundry,” Melanie said, as she knelt down in front of the suitcase that held their dirty clothes. “I’m running out of bras.”

 

“I would say go braless,” Chris started, as he pulled a pillow down from the head of the bed. “But I know you would never do that in a family park.”

 

Melanie shot him a glare, “The last time I went out braless, was before I got knocked up with Charlie,” she shook her head. “Now I have huge tits.”

 

“I’ll have to remember to thank the girls for that when they’re much, much, older,” Chris chuckled. “Come lay down for a bit.”

 

Setting the clothes back down, Melanie made her way across the room and climbed onto the bed, curling up next to Chris. “It’s cold in here,” she shivered, as the central air blasted out of the radiator. “I’ll have to turn the air off a bit before we go to bed later.”

 

“Just grab that end of the blanket at pull it up,” Chris yawned, wrapping his arm around her waist.

 

Doing what he suggested, the end of the comforter came up and over them both, as Melanie pressed against his side. “Hmm, much better,” she mumbled, pressing her face into his chest. “I’m sleepy now.”

 

Chris chuckled, “This vacation is more tiring than I expected,” he admitted. “We’ll be so tired by the time we go home, that we’ll have to sleep a whole week off just to recuperate.”

 

“It’s the heat,” Melanie nodded. “The heat mixed with all the walking and then eating big meals so far apart. At home, we just eat and eat all the time.”

 

“That you do,” Chris mumbled, wincing as she elbowed him. “That wasn’t nice.”

 

Melanie snorted, “Neither was your comment,” she shot back, yawning. “God, I hope they all fall asleep out there. I don’t want to get up now. “

“Give them a half hour and they’ll be sprawled out all over the place,” Chris said, pulling the blanket around them tightly.

 

They settled into a steady stream of unconsciousness, despite the sound of the television in the next room and the other occupants moving outside their room. What only seemed like a few minutes of peace, turned out to be an hour, when the girls came flying into the room and onto the bed.   
  
“Up! Up!” the twins squealed, as they planted themselves onto of Melanie and Chris. “Ice pop!”

 

“Uhhhhhggg,” Melanie groaned, covering her face with her hands.

 

Chris, who received a knee to the groin, took one of the twins down, smothering her with kisses. “You guys and your ambushing,” he growled, as Sophia giggled. “I’m assuming you’re all hungry again?”

 

Charlotte nodded, “We want cake from the food place,” she nodded. “Our movie is over now.”

 

“Can you wait five minutes?” he asked. “That way Mommy and I can wake up a bit and get ready?”

 

“Kay!” Charlotte nodded, not putting up a fuss for the first time since they arrived at the park. “I’ll help Sophie and Liv put their shoesies on!”

 

Chris yawned, “You do that,” he said, as Charlotte jumped off the bed. “No jumping, Charlie! People are sleeping downstairs.”

 

Once the girls ran out of the room, Chris turned his attention back to Melanie and sighed. “I guess we have to get up now,” he pouted, as she groaned. “Hopefully they’ll go right into bed after they eat. If not, we can always send them over to harass your brother and Jim.

 

“They would kill us,” Melanie snorted, as he tucked his face against her neck. “One night alone was enough, that I don’t think they’ll be watching them again for a long time.”

 

“MOMMMMYYYYY!!!! DADDDDYYYY!” Charlotte called out. “WE’RE HUNGRY!”

 

Kicking the blanket off, they both sat up and slowly made their way out of bed. Grabbing their shoes and wallets, Chris and Melanie made their way out into the sitting room to find the three of them waiting by the door. 

“I want you guys to hold hands and stay close to us,” Chris said, as he unlocked the door. “And when we get in there, you stay with either me or Mommy. No running off, understood?”

 

“Dadee, Ice pop! Now!” Sophia pouted, as he led them outside. “Ice pop! Ice pop!”

 

Melanie was the last out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her. “Sophia! Enough!” she exclaimed, as the three year old chanted. “Either you zip your lips or you get no ice pop.”

 

“Come on,” Chris sighed, as he started down the hall, glancing out at the pool and building across from theirs. “Hold hands.”

 

Sophia and Olivia quickly latched onto one another, while Charlotte raced ahead of them and grabbed onto Chris’s hand. “What are you having Daddy?” she asked, as they turned at the corner where the elevator sat.

 

“I’m thinking,” Chris started, as he pressed the down button. “That yummy chocolate chip cheesecake. What about you?”

 

“I want the same!” she squealed.

 

The elevator opened up and Chris moved to the side, so that Melanie and the kids could get in. “I think that’s a great idea,” Chris said, as he stepped into the car.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be the last post for a few days. I start classes up again tomorrow and I'm not sure exactly how the week is going to play out, with school work and everything.


	8. Chapter 8

Meanwhile, Leonard, Jim and Joanna were enjoying their evening out in _Magic Kingdom_. After a lovely dinner at the Beauty and the Beast inspired, _Be Our Guest Restaurant,_ the trio walked around the park as dinner settled.

 

“Are you having fun, sweetpea?” Leonard asked, as Joanna held both his and Jim’s hand as they walked.

 

“Yes,” she nodded, smiling up at him.

 

They walked a bit more, before settling down on a bench to relax. It was a quarter to eight and the sun was at near sunset.

 

“Look at that,” Jim said, shaking his head, as they sun slipped under the horizon. “Simply gorgeous. Not as gorgeous as the sunsets in Seattle, but close enough.”

 

Joanna giggled as she rested her head against his shoulder, “Do we have to go home on Sunday?” she asked.

  
Leonard snickered, “You still have school to prepare for,” he pointed out, as she groaned. “We can always come back next summer, Jo-Jo.”

 

“I was thinking that maybe we could go to Georgia next summer,” she said slowly. “To Grandpa’s beach house on the shore. Maybe Aunt Mellie and Uncle Chris could come with us with Charlie, Liv and Sophie.”

 

Georgia was a tough topic to discuss, considering the fact that Jocelyn still lived there. It was hard enough, bringing Jim and Joanna there for his mother’s funeral, but to stay for more than two days was pushing it.

 

“I don’t know Jo….” Leonard said, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

“I know Mama still lives there,” Joanna said. “But it’s not like she knows anything about me or us. We haven’t talked to her in a long time, Daddy.”

 

He nodded, “But the beach house is still very close to where she’s livin’. And her friends live on the same block and they could always call her and tell her that we’re there.”

 

“But she knows not to come near you or Jo,” Jim said, wrapping his arm around Joanna’s shoulders. “And I wouldn’t want anyone to come near you both when they’re not supposed to.”

 

“Daddy, one day I’m gonna have to talk to her,” Joanna said, ignoring the flinch from Leonard. “I’m gonna want answers to the questions I have for her. About why she did what she did.”

 

Leonard sighed, “Jo, she did it because she was unhappy with our marriage,” he said. “It had nothing to do with you, baby girl. She didn’t like that I had to work overnight and spent the mornings sleepin’ in and the afternoons with you.”

 

The teen sighed, looking down at her lap. “I’d still like to know something about her,” she said quietly. “Other than the fact that she was a drug abuser.”

 

“How about you write to her?” Jim suggested. “Start it off that way before making the jump to fly out there and see her.”

 

Leonard hesitated at the idea, while Jim continued. “Besides, you’re still underage and she’s not allowed to be near you at all,” he said. “When you’re eighteen and you still want to see her, then we’ll worry about it then. But for now, pumpkin, you’re gonna have to listen to us.”

 

“Can I write to her?” Joanna asked, looking at her father. “Please? Just one letter!”

 

“Okay,” Leonard nodded, though he disliked the idea greatly. “But I’m warning you, Jo. If she doesn’t answer back then we drop this whole thing. I don’t want you getting hurt in the end by her, because she is not worth all that pain.”

 

Joanna nodded and Leonard sighed, “You’re just too much, kid,” he said, pulling her into his arms for a hug. “I love you so much. You know that right?”

 

“Yeah,” Joanna said quietly, nodding her head. “I love you too.”

 

Leonard smiled, dropping a kiss on the top of her head, while giving her a tight squeeze.

 

“You’re a good girl, Jo,” Jim said, as he watched both father and daughter embracing.

 

Joanna sat up and turned to him, before throwing her arms around him. Startled, Jim glanced up at Leonard, who smiled at him, while Joanna hugged him tightly.

 

“I love you, Dad,” she whispered.

 

Jim blinked a few times before pulling her tightly to him, “I love you too, baby. Always, always, always,” he said, kissing the side of her face. “How about we do some shopping? You’ve been good all week and we haven’t done too much since we got here. Then we’ll stop at that candy store and buy enough candy to put us in sugar comas.”

 

“Good lord,” Leonard snorted. “You eat all that candy and our dentist will be drillin’ holes in your head.”

 

“Who said anything about eating it all at once?” Jim asked, as they stood up from the bench. “Bones, you need to live a little.”

 

Joanna giggled, “Yeah Daddy,” she grinned. “Live a little!”

 

……………..

 

Back at the hotel, Chris and Melanie were in the middle of solving a major meltdown between the twins. What started as a little fun with their newly purchased toys, turned into a scuffle, which ended in tears and scolding. A hard shove by Sophia, sent Olivia falling onto the floor with a loud thud; the screams and tears came quickly, as Charlotte stood on her bed in shock.

 

When she told her parents what exactly happened, Melanie took Sophia into their room to scold her, while Chris carried Olivia around the room to calm her down. After fifteen minutes with no change, Chris decided to take her for a walk on the hotel grounds. Now, a half an hour later and way past her bedtime, they both sat on a lounge chair by the pool.

 

“Livvie girl, what are we going to do with Sophie?” he sighed, as she munched on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “You two were getting along so well this week and now this.”

 

Olivia squealed as she held up her piece of the sandwich, both peanut butter and jelly smeared on her face. “Dadee!” she cried out, wanting him to take the piece from her.

 

“You eat it,” he said, wiping the peanut butter off with his hand. “You’re messy.”

 

She shook her head, “No!” she pouted. “No mess, Dadee! I eats it wif you!”

 

Chris chuckled as she squirmed on his lap, “Do you like it?” he asked, as she shoved another piece into her mouth, crumbs falling on her shirt. “I take that as a yes?”

 

Olivia nodded and picked up the other half of her late night snack, looking at both hand with shock. Chris chuckled as she beamed at him, all smiles with peanut butter and jelly.

 

“Oh my little one,” he sighed, kissing her on the cheek. “You’re just too much. Too much cuteness wrapped into one little body.”

 

She giggled as he cleaned her up with a napkin, before wrapping up the uneaten half of her snack. “We’ll eat the other half tomorrow,” he said, as she watched him. “You finish that half and Daddy will put this one in the little fridge in the room for tomorrow.”

 

While waiting for her to finish up, the McCoy’s returned from their night out, carrying multiple bags as they walked past the pool.

 

“Well! If it isn’t little Olivia and papa bear!” Jim whistled, as they made their way over to them. “What are you doing out so late?”

 

Olivia babbled and held up her mushy meal, beaming at him. “Is that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?” he gasped, as she nodded. “Goodness, you’ve got quite the range in appetite.”

 

Chris chuckled, “That she does,” he sighed, while brushing her hair back with his fingers. “Did you guys have fun tonight? I see a lot of shopping took place.”

 

“Don’t remind me,” Leonard sighed. “My credit card is weeping as we speak.”

 

“Says the one that’s having our new coffee cups and a cookie jar, shipped to the house,” Jim shook his head. “They had really cute kiddie stuff for kitchen ware by the way. I know you and Mel don’t like the girls using the glass plates at home, but they had really cute plastic sets.”

 

Chris nodded, “We’ll have to look at them tomorrow,” he said, as Olivia squealed.

 

“Why are you down here all alone? Leonard asked, looking around for Mel and the girls.

 

“Sophia decided to shove Olivia to the floor, which ended in tears,” he shook his head. “After fifteen minutes of screaming and crying, I figured a nice walk would do her some good.”

 

Jim snorted, “A nice walk and looking like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich attacked, did some real good to her,” he said, as Olivia yawned. “Aw! Somebody’s sleepy.”

 

“No sweep!” Olivia shook her head. “I play wif Dadee now!”

 

“First we’ll clean you up and then I’ll play with you,” Chris said, as he started gathering up their things. “Then hopefully you’ll go to bed, that way we can go out tomorrow.”

 

Standing up, Chris lifted Olivia up with one arm, while carrying her half eaten sandwich and juice bottle with his free hand. “Ready?” he asked her, as she nodded.

 

Making sure he had everything, Chris followed Leonard and Jim towards the elevator, while Jo followed behind, reading a few text messages on her phone.

 

“What are you guys doing tomorrow?” Chris asked, as they stepped into the elevator car. “Are you coming to the park with us?”

 

“I think we’re going to spend the first half of the morning by the pool,” Jim said, as they elevator started to their floor. “Jo’s been cryin’ about not having the “perfect” tan and it would be nice to just relax for a bit after breakfast.”

 

Chris nodded, “Then we’ll head over to _Hollywood Studios,_ and go on the crazy rides that Bones here hates,” Jim continued, grinning as Leonard scoffed. “Then we’ll come back and feed this one here and then Bones and I will send her off with you and go on our date.”

 

Joanna snorted, “I guess I’m spending the night?” she asked, as the elevator stopped.

 

“Joanna Elizabeth!” Leonard gasped.

 

“What?” she shrugged. “Did you think that I didn’t know what you and Dad do when you’re alone? I’m thirteen, Daddy. They teach us about sex in school.”

 

Chris snorted as Leonard had a coronary on the spot, while his teenage daughter smiled sweetly at him. “Bones, it’s better that she knows about sex now,” Jim said, stepping out of the elevator. “Sadly, there are kids her age that have no idea about it and end up having babies of their own.”

 

“Yeah, Len,” Chris nudged him. “You should be lucky that Jo here is smart enough to understand the concept of it.”

 

HE glared at him, “I rather my daughter not know anything about it,” he hissed. “Joanna, you’re gettin’ homeschooled when we go home. That’s it!”

 

“Daddy!!!!!”

 

“Bones! She’s not getting homeschooled because neither of us are capable of teaching her,” Jim exclaimed. “I’m lucky if I can barely understand biology, let alone a trigonometry!”

 

Olivia yawned, “Dadeee!” she whined, as they reached the door to their room.

 

“I’ll see you guys in the morning,” Chris said, as the couple and Jo walked. “Try not to get into trouble!”

 

Joanna took the room key from Jim, “Night Uncle Chris! Night Liv!” she smiled at them, as the door to the room unlocked. “Will you two stop arguing? You look like you swallowed a toad, Daddy.”

 

Chris shook his head, chuckling, as he unlocked the door to his own room, pushing it open to step inside. Locking the door behind him, Chris turned around just as Melanie came out of the girls’ room.

 

“Ah, there you two are!” she smiled at them. “I was wondering where you ran off to. Did you guys have a good time outside?”

 

“We sure did,” Chris nodded, setting the sandwich in the mini fridge near the wall, along with the bottle of juice. “We got some juice and a sandwich and took a little rest on the lounge chair.”

 

Olivia pointed at Melanie, “Mama! I no sweep!” she demanded, shaking her head. “I pway wif Dadee now!”

 

Melanie blinked, “Well, I guess she told me!” she shook her head. “You guys can play, but first I need you to wash your hands and your face. Then we’ll put on a pair of jammies and you can come into our room.”

 

Handing her over, Chris followed them back into the girls room; both Charlotte and Sophia were tucked into their beds and watching cartoons.

 

“Hi Daddy,” Charlotte yawned, while Sophia sat up to see him.

 

“What are you two watching?” he asked, turning to look at the screen. “ _High School Musical?_ Again?”

 

They nodded, “Dadee!” Sophia held her arms up, as he came over to her. “Dadee!”

 

Sitting down, Chris pulled her into a hug and sighed. “You’re still in trouble, missy,” he warned, as he pulled back to look at her. “What you did to your sister wasn’t nice, Soph. You hurt her and made her very sad.”

 

“O’Ivvie owie?” she gasped, as Melanie came out with her twin. “O’Ivvie!”

 

Olivia wrapped her arms around Melanie’s neck, watching her sister closely as she crawled out from under the blankets. “O’Iviee, I sarray! I sarray!”

 

Setting her down on the bed, Melanie went to grab some pajamas out of the dresser, while the twins sat across from each other on the bed. 

“Give your sister a hug and a kiss, Soph,” Chris said, nodding. “Go on.”

 

Sophia crawled over to her and quickly wrapped her arms around her, “O’Ivvie, I sarray!” she exclaimed, while Olivia sat still. “No owie!”

 

“Pia, I has owie!” Olivia nodded, while her twin sat back to brush her hair off her face. “Owie!”

 

Unsure of what to do next, Sophia looked up at Chris with a pout. “Liv, Sophie’s sorry for what she did,” he said, as Olivia blinked. “Soph, are you going to be nice to your sister now?”

 

“O’Ivvie play wif me!” Sophia nodded. “Pway!”

 

“I pway wif Dadee,” Olivia shook her head. “I pway wif, Dadee now.”

 

As Melanie came back to the bed with pajamas, Sophia sat quietly as Melanie started to undress her. Then, startling them all, Sophia began to cry.

 

“Aw, Sophie,” Chris groaned, as she wailed. “Shhh, it’s okay baby.”

 

“O-O-O’ivvie no pway wif me,” she stuttered, while Olivia watched her. “I sarray!”

 

From the other bed, Charlotte groaned as her sister cried. “Oh nooo,” she muttered, pulling the pillow over her head.

 

Sophia continued to cry, pitifully, as Melanie finished dressing Olivia up for bed. “Come on now, Soph,” Melanie said, as she tossed the dirty clothes into the suitcase. “You’re going to make yourself sick.”

 

Crawling from her spot on the bed, Olivia quickly hugged her sister. “Pia!” she squeaked. “No cry, Pia! No cry!”

 

“How about you two lay down?” Chris suggested, pulling the blankets down. “Come on. Get up there and lay down. “

 

The twins untangled themselves from each other and quickly did what they were told; lying down close to each other while the blankets came up to cover them.

 

“See?” Chris said, as he wiped Sophia’s tear-stained face with his hand. “No more crying and fighting. Get some sleep and tomorrow we’ll go out and play.”

 

“I sarray, O’Ivvie,” Sophia said, hiccupping.

 

Grabbing their toys, Hamm and Tiana, Melanie tucked them in between the girls. “Go to sleep,” she said quietly, leaning down to kiss them both.

 

While she went to check on Charlotte, Chris made sure they were tucked in tightly, before giving them both a kiss. “I love you,” he whispered to them, as they dozed off.

 

“No more TV,” Melanie said quietly, as Charlotte groaned. “You need to go to bed, Charlie. It’s getting late and we have to get up early for breakfast, if you want to find Cinderella.”

“Don’t give your mother a hard time,” Chris said, as he sat down on the other side of the bed. “You can’t even keep your eyes open.”

 

Rolling over, Charlotte yawned widely and snuggled into her pillow, clutching her Aurora doll to her chest. “I’m not sleepy, Daddy,” she mumbled, while her eyes closed.   
  
“If you say so,” he chuckled, kissing her forehead. “If you want to get the fresh waffles, you need to go bed.”

 

“Hmmm, kay,” she nodded, as Melanie tucked her in. “Night Mommy. Night Daddy.”

 

Melanie smiled and shook her head, “Goodnight, baby girl,” she whispered, kissing her cheek.

 

“I love you, Charlie girl,” Chris whispered, kissing her forehead. 

Standing up, the couple made their way to the door and turned back to watch as the girls slept, before turning off the light.

 

“God,” Melanie shook her head, as Chris closed the door halfway. “I can’t really say that I’m surprised that one of the twins snapped. It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

 

“At least it was in the room and not in a park or restaurant,” he sighed, as they stepped into their room.

 

Melanie nodded as she pulled the blankets down on the bed, “I had her run around in here to let off some steam,” she yawned, climbing into bed. “I think that big ice cream sundae was too much, Chris. All that sugar makes them crazy, especially when they’ve been up for twelve hours straight.”

 

Tossing his clothes into the suitcase, Chris turned the lights out and climbed into bed next to her. “Tomorrow they’ll have apples after dinner,” he yawned, settling down into bed. “Or maybe a dip in the pool will tire them out, that way Jo can get some sleep tomorrow.”

 

“Hmm,” Melanie nodded. “Maybe I’ll take one of them with me when I do laundry,” she sighed. “Then again, they’ll probably be good with Jo around.”

 

“I hope so,” Chris said, rolling onto his side. “Warm enough?”

 

Melanie nodded, slinking closer to him under the blankets. “This bed is so comfy,” she mumbled, relaxing her entire body into the mattress. “So, so, comfy.”

 

Snorting, Chris warped his arm around her waist, while stretching out. “Leaving is going to be so hard,” he sighed. “Hmm, I love you.”

 

“I love you, too,” she said, before yawning. “Goodnight.”

 

“Night,” he sighed, as exhaustion took over, giving in after a full day’s worth of fun and mishaps.

 


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, after a quick breakfast at the hotel, Chris and Melanie packed up the kids and took them back to _Magic Kingdom_ for the day. Opting to stay behind at the pool, Jim, Joanna and Leonard, lounged about for a few hours, before moving back upstairs to get ready for the day.

 

“Are you really gonna sit and wait for us?” Joanna asked, as they went through security at _Hollywood Studios._ “If you go on _Tower of Terror,_ I’ll do all my chores and more when we get home.”

 

Jim snickered, “Jo, you’re doing all your chores regardless,” Leonard said, as the teen pouted. “You two go on and I’ll wait for you down in the shade.”

 

“Bonesyyyyy,” Jim whined, as they walked towards the attraction.

 

Leonard shook his head, “Jim, if I go on that ride, you can kiss date night goodbye,” he warned. “You know what will happen if I go on that damn thing and I think I’ve done enough embarrassing things in front of my daughter to last a few years.”

  
“Fine,” Jim huffed. “But you’re going on something crazy before we leave on Sunday,” he warned. “Tomorrow’s _Magic Kingdom_ and they have plenty of thrill rides for you to hit.”

 

“Come on, Dad,” Joanna said, tugging his hand. “It’s a twenty minute wait and people are already hoggin’ up the line.”

 

“I’ll be over here,” he said, nodding to the bench under the trees. “Try not to puke on anyone, please. And make sure your safety belts are extra tight.”

 

Jim silence him with a kiss, “Stop worrying, old man,” he said, giving his hand a squeeze. “You on and I’ll text you when we’re off the ride.”

 

“Bye Daddy!” Joanna waved at him, as she pulled Jim onto the line. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

 

Shaking his head, Leonard waved them off and headed towards the benches, sitting down with a deep sigh. Taking out his phone, he checkwd and sent out messages to his friends at home and to Mel and Chris, while he waited.

 

_You need to grow a pair and go on a ride, Lenny. If she could, Charlie would go on that ride over and over again._

Rolling his eyes, Leonard tucked the phone back into his pocket and sat back on the bench. Digging through Jim’s backpack, he pulled out a bottle of water and a bag of pretzels they bought from the hotel. Considering it would be a while before they’d return and there weren’t too many rides to go on, Leonard would wait as patiently as he could.

………….

In _Magic Kingdom,_ the girls were too busy squealing over the sight of a very popular Disney princess.

 

“Daddy! Daddy!” Charlotte shrieked. “It’s Cindy-rella!”

 

Having just come out of the restrooms, Melanie was in the middle of shoving the diaper bag under the stroller, when Charlotte spotted the blonde princess in one of the gazebos by the entrance of the park.

 

“Oh look at that!” Chris gasped, as Charlotte squealed. “Mel! Cindy’s out from hiding.”

 

Melanie looked up and smiled, “Oh boy!” she said, as Sophia and Olivia started screeching. “Let’s get over there before she has to go!”

 

Making their way over to the gazebo, the couple started to panic as Cinderella was being led away from area.

 

“Oh shit,” Chris shook his head, as Charlotte watched in dismay. “Maybe she has to go to the potty.”

 

But Charlotte shook her head, “She’s going away!” she cried, as her eyes welled up with tears. “Daddy!”

 

Bursting into tears, Charlotte began to wail pitifully, as Cinderella was being led away by Disney personnel. The woman, looking quite distressed with her costume, turned and looked in their direction as Charlotte cried. Melanie winced and gave her a small wave, to which she returned.

 

“It’s okay, Charlie,” Chris said, as he tried to console her. “I’m sure she’ll be back again soon.”

 

“No she won’t!” Charlotte hiccupped. “I-I won’t see her again!”

 

Melanie watched as the girl stopped her escorts, talking quickly with them, while nodding in their direction. After a few minutes, Cinderella made her way across the cobblestones and stood quietly behind Charlotte as she cried.   
  
“I wa-wanna go home!” Charlotte cried. “I don’t wanna see anymore p-p-rincesses.”

 

“Oh that just won’t do!” Cinderella gasped, startling Charlotte. “I want you to meet all my friends!”

 

Charlotte turned and gasped, while Chris and Melanie smiled, for she was at a loss for words. Kneeling down, Cinderella smiled at her, holding out one of her hands.

 

“Did you come all the way here to see me?” she asked, as Charlotte nodded. “What is your name, princess?”

 

“C-Charlotte,” she sniffled. “I cam all the way from my house to see you! My Mommy and Daddy brought us here.”

 

Cinderella nodded, “Well, I am very happy that they did, Charlotte!” she said, smiling. “You’re very pretty!”

 

Smiling, Charlotte wiped at her face, “Thank you, Cindy-rella,” she giggled nervously. “Can you color in my picture book? I has everyone else coloring in it, that way I can show my friends at home.

 

“I would love too!” the woman smiled. “And maybe your Mommy can take a picture of you and me?”

  
“Yes!” Charlotte nodded, as Melanie dug through the diaper bag for her autograph book and a pen. “And my sisters!”

 

She turned around and pointed to the twins, who waved at them. “That’s Sophie and Liv! They’re the samesies!”

 

Chris quickly went to get the twins out of the stroller, while Melanie came over with the book and pen. “You should thank Cinderella, Charlie,” she said, as the woman took the book and pen with a smile. “It’s almost tea time!”

 

“Thank you, Cindy-rella,” Charlotte giggled, as she wrote in her book. “You’re my favorite princess in the whole world!”

 

“And you’re mine too!” Cinderella smiled, as she handed her the book and pen. “And are these your sisters?”

 

Charlotte nodded, introducing her to Sophia and Olivia, while Chris handed Melanie the camera. “Could we be any luckier than right now?” he whispered, as Melanie turned the camera on. “This girl just saved us all from a major meltdown. 

“I think Cinderella will forever be our superhero,” she smiled, as she turned to face the group. “Are you guys ready for a picture?”

 

Ten minutes and three photos later, Cinderella gave the girls a hug goodbye. “I hope to see you later at the parade!” she said, as an escort came over. “My dear friend Mickey is holding one today, at half past one!”

 

“We’ll be there!” Charlotte nodded, looking up at her parents. “Right?”

 

“We most certainly will!” Chris nodded. “I think we’ll have to get you a tiara for it!”

 

Melanie smiled at the girl,” Thank you, Cinderella,” she said, as the girl nodded.

 

“It was a pleasure,” she said, smiling back. “Well, I must go back to my castle now! I’m late for tea with the prince!”

 

“Bye! Bye!” Olivia squealed, waving at her.

 

Waving goodbye, Cinderella and her escorts started across the park, moving quickly out of the hot sun.

 

“Mommy! Mommy!” Charlotte squealed, as the twins went back into the stroller. “Cindy-rella colored by picture book and said I was pretty!”

 

“I know!” Melanie gasped, as Charlotte flipped through the pages of her book. “And look at her picture! She even wrote your name on it!”

 

Charlotte squealed, “What’s it say?” she asked, holding the book up for her.

 

Melanie took and smiled, “It’s says,” she cleared her throat for emphasis, making Chris snort. “Dear Charlotte, from one princess to another, I wish you many magical moments. Then she wrote her name with a heart!”

 

“I love Cindy-rella,” Charlotte sighed, clutching her hands to her chest.

  
“She was very nice for taking her time out of tea to see you,” Chris said, as Melanie read the autograph Cinderella wrote for the twins. “When we go home, Mommy will get the picture printed and we’ll put it in a frame.”

 

Charlotte nodded, “Can I please get a Cindy-rella one?” she asked, as Melanie tucked the book back into the bag. “I has a Belle one at home. That one has a picture of me when I was littler.”

 

Picking her up, Chris gave her a kiss on the cheek and nodded. “We’ll get a Cindy frame for you,” he promised, as they started walking.

 

“Thank you for brining us here, Daddy,” Charlotte smiled. “This is the bestest day of my whole life.”

 

“Your whole life?” he asked, as she nodded. “You’re only five, Charlie. You have many, many, more years to experience things like this.”

 

Melanie nodded in agreement, “You’re just starting out, Charlie,” she said, as they crossed over to the other side of Main Street.

 

The five year old shrugged, “I guess so,” she sighed. “Are we getting our tiaras now?”

 

“We’ll get them now,” Chris nodded, as they went into the first shop. “What other princesses are we going to see today?”

 

Charlotte pouted, tapping her fingers on her chin, before gasping. “Ariel!” she exclaimed, making him chuckle. “And Rapunzel and Merida! Oh I hope they come out to play today!”

 

“I hope so too!” Chris said, as they reached the wall of various tiaras and costumes. “

 

“Daddy _lovesss_ Ariel,” Melanie snickered, as she looked at the different tiaras for the twins. “Right Daddy?”

 

Chris scowled, “No! Mommy! Daddy loves you the most!” Charlotte exclaimed, as she pulled down a Belle crown. “Right Daddy?”

 

He nodded, “Absolutely,” he said, to which Melanie blushed. “I say we get Mommy a Aurora crown, Charlie girl. Here’s your Cindy one.”

 

“Mommy has to wear her crown all day!” Charlotte said, as Melanie picked out another for the twins. “Uncle Jim and Uncle Bones has to get one for Joanna! She can be Belle!”

 

“Well, it’s a good thing I got Merida and Tiana for the twins,” Melanie sighed, as she held up the tiaras for the girls to see. “Are we ready to pay and go? So many princesses are waiting to see us today!”

 

…………..

 

“And then we saw Merida and learned how to shoot a bow!” Charlotte babbled, as she jumped up and down on her bed. “Jo, her hair was big!”

 

Joanna giggled, “It was?” she asked, as Charlotte nodded. “How big?”

 

“This big!” Joanna squealed, holding her arms out on either side of her head. “Ariel’s was shiny and long!”

 

After dinner at _Crystal Palace,_ and a quick pit stop at the candy store, the Pike’s returned to the hotel around six-fifteen, as Joanna finished eating her dinner. A half an hour later, Jim and Leonard stopped by the room before heading out, while Joanna was pulled into the room by Charlotte.

 

“We’ll be home late,” Jim said, as Charlotte and the twins squealed in the other room. “But, we’ll be up and ready in time for breakfast and for the park.”

 

“If you need us, you call,” Leonard said, as they walked to the door. “If we have to cut the night short, we will.”

 

Jim pouted, not liking that idea at all, but nodded. “If anything happens, don’t hesitate to call us. We’re heading to _Epcot_ for dinner reservations I put in on Tuesday.”

 

“Oooohhh,” Melanie grinned. “Well, I hope you too behave and play nice.”

 

“I would say the same to you, but you’ve got four kids to watch,” Leonard smirked, earning an eye roll from her. “Easy on the sweets tonight, since she ate half a bag of chocolate today.”

 

Melanie nodded, “Go! Have fun and do naughty things later. Jo will be fine with us and the girls!”

 

They both nodded, “Oh! Before I forget!” Melanie laughed. “If you guys happen to see princess tiaras in a gift shop, you must get Jo a Belle one. Charlotte demanded it today after we got their crowns.”

 

“Belle it is!” Jim smiled, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “JO! We’re leaving!”

 

Joanna quickly rushed out of the room, “Kay!” she smiled, giving them both a hug and a kiss. “Be nice and don’t eat too much!”

 

“That’s your Dad, not me,” Leonard snickered. “Be good, baby girl. We’ll see ya in the morning.”

 

With one last hug and kiss, Joanna waved as they stepped out of the room, the door closing behind them with a click.

 

“Thank god,” Joanna sighed, as Melanie wrapped her arm around her shoulders. “You should’ve seen them while I ate dinner, Aunt Mellie! They were making lovey dovey eyes at each other.”

 

“Your Uncle Chris and I do that,” Melanie snickered, as Chris came out of the room with Sophia behind him. “Right honey? We making lovey dovey eyes at one another?”

 

Chris chuckled, “Of course,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “I hope you’re ready to give your upmost attention, Jo. Charlie has a lot to tell you, especially about her meeting with Cindy.”

 

“We’ll talk about Cindy later,” Melanie said, as Sophia clung to Joanna’s leg. “First, let’s get our bathing suits on and head down to the pool.”

 

“Mama, I no swim!” Sophia shook her head, as she tried to “climb” up on Joanna. “No swim, Mama. I pway wif ‘Oh!”

 

Bending down, Joanna pulled Sophia up into her arms and sighed, “Not even a little swim?” she asked, as the three year old shook her head. “We could sit on the step, Soph. Put our feet in the water for a bit.”

 

Sophia shook her head, “Okay then,” Joanna sighed. “Put can I put you in a bathing suit anyway? So you can look sooo cute?”

 

The toddler giggled as her cousin kissed her cheek, “Let’s go get dressed, “Joanna said, as she carried her back into the bedroom.

 

“One day, I will get the girl in the water,” Chris sighed, as Melanie wrapped her arms around him. “Out of all my girls, I figured it’d be Liv that would hate the water.”

 

“Ah, she’s still young,” Melanie sighed, as Charlotte ran past the door with her bathing suit in hand. “I’m going to change really quick. Can you get the towels ready?”

 

He nodded, “I’ll help Olivia with her suit,” he said, as Melanie untangled herself from him.

 

Moving quickly, the couple split up, heading into their rooms. In the girls room, Chris could hear Sophia and Charlotte giggling in the bathroom, as Joanna helped them change. On the bed, Olivia stood in the middle, holding Hamm in her arms.

 

“Dadee! I swim wif ‘Oh!” she squealed, as Chris went to get her bathing suit. “Swim! Swim!”

 

“You’re gonna swim with Jo?” he asked, pulling out the little one piece from the bag. “What about me? I thought I was your swimming buddy?”

 

Olivia nodded, “I swim wif you and ‘Oh!” she said, as Chris helped her out of her clothes. “Swim! Swim!”

 

“We’ll swim and then get ice pops,” he said, tossing the clothes in with the dirty laundry. “Then Mommy’s going to wash some clothes later, while you and your sisters watch cartoons.”

 

Pulling the bathing suit up and into place, Olivia beamed at him, as he fixed her ponytail. “You’re all ready to swim,” Chris said, as he picked her up. “Let’s wait in the other room for Mommy and your sisters, that way I can get my bathing suit.”

 

The bathroom door opened and both Charlotte and Sophia came out, dressed in their own bathing suits. “Jo’s putting her swimmie suit on!” Charlotte reported, as they headed into the sitting room. “Daddy, you need to put yours on!”

 

“I am,” he said, placing Olivia down. “You three wait here and be good, so I can get ready.”

 

“Kay!” Charlotte nodded, as Chris went to open the door to his room.

 

Once everyone was dressed and ready, a tote bag packed with towels and cover-ups, the group locked up the room and made the short trip down to pool, as the sun slowly set over the resort. 


	10. Chapter 10

“Come on, Sophie!” Chris scolded from the bathroom, as the twins giggled. “No splashing!”

 

By eight-thirty, long after swimming and eating ice cream, it was time to bring the party back upstairs. While Melanie took Charlotte into the bathroom to shower, Chris opted to take the twins into the other for their baths.

 

“Swim!” Sophia squealed, as she scooped up the soap suds. “Dadee, I swim!”

 

“I know you went swimming,” he said, nodding. “And you were so good!”

 

Three years in the making, Sophia took her first trip into the pool without issue, as she went from Melanie’s arms to Chris’s with a giggle. He took her for one lap around the pool, before he and Melanie called it a night with a promise to come back tomorrow for more pool time.

 

“Dadee, I swim wif Pia!” Olivia nodded, as she dunked her Mickey ducks in the water. “Pia! I swim wif you!”

 

Washing the soap out of their hair, Chris pulled the stopper out of the drain, and stood up. Pulling them out of the tub, one at a time, he wrapped them up in a towel and led them back into the bedroom to dry off and change into their pajamas.

 

“Let’s put some cartoons on and wait for Mommy to come out of the shower,” he said, as the girls settled down on their bed. “That way either she or Jo can dry your hair.”

 

Once they were engrossed with the television, Chris left them to head out into the other room. “The bathroom is free,” he said, as Joanna dug through her bag. “Just watch the floor since it’s wet.”

 

Then, heading into his own room, Chris could hear Melanie and Charlotte in the bathroom.

 

“Mommy? Why do you have hair on your peepee?” Charlotte asked.

 

Chris coughed violently, while Melanie sputtered. “You don’t need to worry about it, Charlie,” Melanie said, as the lock on the door released. “Go outside and wait for me.”

 

The door opened and Charlotte came out, wrapped in a towel, as the door closed behind her.

 

“Daddy!” she squealed, rushing towards him. “Why does Mommy ha-“ she started, before he cut her off.

 

“Charlie, we’ll talk about that at another time,” he said, as she pouted. “Let’s get you dried off and dressed before you catch a chill.”

 

Helping her into her pajamas, Chris sat her down on the bed and brushed her hair, before pulling it up into a bun. “Jo’s taking her shower now and afterwards she’ll help you with your hair,” he said, helping her off the bed. “Your sisters are watching cartoons in the other room.”

 

With a nod, Charlotte ran off, leaving Chris to fret over the expected questions she would have later on. Grabbing his own pajamas, Chris waited for Melanie to come out of the bathroom, while hanging the damp towels onto a hanger. When she finally came out, dressed in shorts and a tank top, Melanie looked distressed.

 

“I hear her,” Chris said, as she opened her mouth. “And yes, I’m not looking forward to the questions she’s going to ask us later.”

 

“And here I thought taking a shower together would save time and stress,” she shook her head, tossing the wet swimsuits into the suitcase.

 

Chris sighed, “Were you dressed when she asked you this question?” he asked, as Melanie sorted through the dirty clothes, tossing what needed to be washed the most into a tote bag.

 

“Of course I was!” Melanie gasped. “Did you think I was going to wrap her in a towel with my vagina in her face? She was peeing when she asked me, while I got dressed.”

 

He nodded, “Okay, okay,” he sighed. “The girls are dressed and watching television and Jo’s in the shower.”

 

Melanie stood up and moved their shoes out of the way, “I’ll wait until you’re out before I head down to wash this stuff,” she said. “I need to go through the girls’ suitcase and see what needs to be washed. Just toss your bathing suit out before you go in the shower.”

 

“Will do,” he sighed, making his way into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

 

With a sigh, Melanie made her way out of the room and into the other one, earning squeals from the girls. “Mommy’s going to wash your clothes,” she announced, as they crawled to the end of the bed. “Watch your cartoons until Jo’s done with her shower.”

 

…………

 

Jim sighed happily, as the waitress took their empty plates away, leaving the dessert menu for them to look at.

 

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a night out like this,” he said, as Leonard took a sip from his water glass. “This is fun.”

 

Leonard chuckled as Jim looked around at the restaurant, “It is,” he nodded, a small smile gracing his face. “But it’ll be even _more_ fun, once we get back to the room.”

 

Jim blushed, “Oh stop it,” he shook his head, trying his best to tone down the smile on his face.

 

He then reached across the table and held his hand out, to which Leonard took, giving it a tight squeeze. “I miss doing things like this,” Jim said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love going out with Joanna and with your sister, Chris and the kids. But with you? I’ve missed going out and leaving Jo with a sitter or dropping her off to spend the night with the girls, just so we can go out and be alone.”

 

“I know,” Leonard nodded, looking down at their clasped hands; the silver band on Jim’s shined in the candlelight. “I’m sorry that I made you miss out on things like this, Jim. For bein’ a real ass and not treatin’ you right. I made a promise to you when we got married that I’d treat ya right and I fucked up.”

 

“But you’re getting better,” Jim pointed out. “You could’ve told me to fuck off when I gave you that ultimatum, but you didn’t. Instead, you went and got the help that you needed and look at you now, Bones.”

 

Leonard nodded slowly, “When I look at you now, I not only see the man that I married, but I see the man that you were before everything awful happened in your life. When I picture you in your life before me and before everything went sour with Jocelyn, I picture a happier Leonard McCoy. And I think now, after everything you’ve been through….what _we’ve_ been through, I feel like you’re everything and more.”

 

“Jim…”

 

“Granted, we both have a long way to go,” Jim nodded. “But I just want to tell you how proud I am of you and how much I love you. Even though you’re still capable of being grumpy old man.”

 

Leonard chuckled, “And you have your moments of being a hyperactive brat,” he sighed. “I love you too, Jim. And I’m going to try harder everyday to make you happy.”

 

The younger man squeezed his hand, “You already make me happy, Bones,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here right now if you didn’t.”

 

At that moment, the waitress came back and smiled at them. “Have you decided on what you wanted for dessert?” she asked. “The chocolate cake is the best, if you don’t mind me saying.”

 

Leonard smiled at Jim, “We’ll take two slices of chocolate cake and….tea?” he asked, as Jim nodded. “Two cups of tea it is then.”

 

She smiled and nodded, moving to quickly to put their order in. “You’re actually eating chocolate cake?” Jim asked, looking impressed. “I usually have to pout and compromise with you.”

 

“I want the cake,” he said, running his thumb over Jim’s knuckles. “And you can still pout, Jim. It’s very sexy.”

 

Blushing like a teenaged girl, Leonard couldn’t help but be pleased with himself, as they sat quietly in the candlelight.

 

………….

 

While Melanie and Charlotte went down to do laundry, Chris was left behind with the twins and Joanna, with strict orders to make sure they didn’t break anything or run off; the twins were the ones that needed the most attention, as Joanna lounged on the bed she would share with Charlotte, reading one of her books.

 

“Dadee, I want joose,” Sophia pouted, as she sat on the sofa. “I want joose.”

 

Sighing, Chris pulled himself up off the sofa and made his way over to the mini fridge, taking out a bottle of apple juice. “Don’t drink it all at once,” he warned, as he unscrewed the cap. “Because once it’s empty, that’s it.”

 

Taking the bottle, Sophia sat and drank quietly, while Olivia crawled around on the floor with her toys, babbling as she did so.

 

“UNCLE CHRIS!” Joanna shouted from the bathroom.

 

Moving quickly, Chris made his way into the girls’ room and over to the bathroom, as Joanna peered out.

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, as the teen stared out at him. “Jo, you don’t look so good honey.”

 

“Can you call Aunt Mellie?” she asked, her eyes wide and her face pale. “I need her!”

 

He nodded, “Are you sick? Do you want me to get you something from her bag?” he asked, as she whimpered. “Honey, whatever it is you can tell me. I need to know that way I can get you the right stuff from her bag.”

 

She looked away, embarrassed, “I started my period,” she mumbled, her eyes filling up with tears.

 

“Okay,” he nodded. “It’s going to be fine, Jo. I’ll go call her now and I’ll see what she has in her bag.”

 

“Don’t call Daddy,” she begged, looking up at him quickly. “Or Dad! I don’t want to ruin their night out and Daddy will get crazy if we tell him.”

 

Chris nodded, “Just hang tight and I try to relax, Jo,” he said. “Is this the first time?”

 

She nodded, blushing deeply, and Chris felt awful for asking the question. “Give me two seconds to call her and I won’t ask anymore questions,” he said, starting out of the room. “God help me.”

 

………..

 

“Mommy, what are these?” Charlotte asked, holding up a thong from the pile of freshly laundered clothes.  

 

Melanie turned and gasped, taking the garment from her quickly. “Charlotte,” she hissed, as the girl blinked. “We don’t hold our underwear up like that.”

 

On the other side of the table, and elderly woman gave her a dirty look, shaking her head as she folded up her towels. Next to her, a younger woman giggled and shook her head.

 

“Don’t worry,” she said to Melanie, who blushed in embarrassment. “My daughter did the same thing at the Laundromat at home.”

 

“Mommyyyyy!” Charlotte huffed. “What is it? And why can I sees through it?” 

 

Melanie folded up a shirt and set it down next to neatly folded clothes, “That’s grown up underwear,” she said, as Charlotte handed her another shirt. “When you’re much older, you can wear that if you want.”

 

“How much older?” Charlotte asked, cocking her head to the side.

 

“When you’re fifty,” Melanie answered, as her phone began to ring. “Can you answer that for me?”

 

Charlotte nodded and took the phone out of her little hand bag, “It’s Daddy!” she squealed, answering the phone. “Hi Daddy!”

 

Melanie paused in her folding and started loading up the tote bag, as Charlotte babbled. “Kay! Mommy? Daddy wants to talk to you right away,” she said, holding the phone up.

 

“Hello?” Melanie answered, as she went back to folding. “Trouble already?”

 

“I need you to come back up here quickly,” Chris said, as the twins screeched in the background. “Like now.”

 

Melanie set the shorts down and reached for another shirt, “What’s wrong?” she asked, as Charlotte hummed to herself. “Are they giving you a hard time with bed?”

 

Chris sighed, “No,” he mumbled. “Jo’s freaking out in the bathroom at this very moment. She just started her period and she’s demanding that you come up here now.”

 

“Oh no,” Melanie gasped. “Okay, let me just throw this stuff in the bag and we’ll be up in a bit. Take the big blue bag out of my carry on and give it to her and tell her to wait for me.”

 

“Okay,” Chris sighed. “Hurry.”

 

Hanging up, Melanie handed her phone back to Charlotte. “We need to go back upstairs,” she said, grabbing the clothes out of the basket.

 

“Why?” Charlotte asked.

 

“Jo’s not feeling so good and she needs my help,” she answered, shoving the unfolded clothes in with the rest, reaching down to take her hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”

 

…………….

 

Jim snickered as he and Leonard made their way around the nearly deserted park, making their way towards the bus pick up. After eating their slices of chocolate cake, the couple made their way around the world again, stopping to browse in the shops at a slower pace and to shop.

 

“I think Jo’s gonna love her crown,” Jim said, as they walked. “Or Charlotte for that matter.”

 

“Poor girl,” Leonard shook his head. “A victim to the outrageous antics of a five and two- three year olds. She’ll never want to spend the night at my sisters house again.”

 

“She better,” Jim pouted, as they reached their stop. “How will we ever have a night out loud and ridiculously insane sex, if our daughter is down the hall?”

 

Leonard shook his head, “We can still have ridiculously insane sex,” he pointed out. “I just have to gag you or hold your face down in a pillow.”

 

“Oooh, kinky,” Jim grinned, giving him a quick kiss. “Hmm, I can’t wait to have sex when we get back.”

 

“Good lord,” Leonard snorted, as Jim hugged him tightly. “Not even drunk and you’re already jumping down my pants.”

 

Jim looked up at grinned, “I don’t need to be intoxicated in order to fuck you, Bones,” he said. “You being so fucking hot is enough.”

 

An eyebrow went up in surprise, “Is that so?” he asked, relived that it was only the two of them waiting for the bus back to the hotel.

 

“Yup,” Jim nodded. “And that accent… goddamn. Do you realize how hard it is for me to not pull you into those bushes and have my way with you?”

 

“As nice as that sounds, I hope you don’t,” Leonard said. “The last thing I need, is for us to get caught and banned from Disneyworld. Joanna would kill us and tell all her friends that we’re horrible parents and that we’ve ruined her life.”

 

Jim scoffed, “She would _never,”_ he said as the bus came around to their stop. “We’re totally awesome parents.”

 

Boarding, the couple took a seat near the back of the bus, ignoring the chatter from the large family in the front. As soon as he sat down, Jim felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and quickly reached to get it.

 

“Please tell me Jo’s not begging for us to let her back in the room,” Leonard said, as the bus pulled away from the curb.

 

“Be nice,” Jim snickered, elbowing him lightly as he read the text from Melanie, which arrived twenty minutes previously, when their cell service was in the outs.

 

**_Melanie:_ ** _Do not, I repeat, do NOT tell Leonard this. Joanna started her period tonight and she had a little panic attack in the bathroom, but she’s doing much better now. I gave her “the talk” and Chris went down to get her some tea. She didn’t want me to tell you and have you cut the night short, so please don’t. I gave her some Advil and she’s getting ready for bed._

Jim quickly glanced up at Leonard, before texting back.

 

 ** _Jim:_** _“Are you sure you don’t want us to stop by?”_ he texted. “ _I feel like a bad parent if we don’t.”_

The text bubble came up quickly, as Melanie typed back. Leonard sighed and stretched in his seat, wrapping his arm around Jim’s shoulders.

  
“Who are you textin’?” he asked.

 

“You’re sister,” Jim said, coming up with a quick lie to follow. “Charlie’s asking her and Chris questions about where babies come from. I think Chris is having a heart attack over it.”

 

Leonard snickered, “That poor man,” he shook his head. “Just wait until they’re all teenagers and hitting puberty. That’s when the heart palpitations begin.”

 

The phone buzzed again and Jim quickly turned his attention back to the new message, reading quickly.

 

**_Melanie:_ ** _She has no idea that I texted you, Jim. If you cut the night short, she’ll feel even worse than she does right now. Chris just went in to check on her and said that she was out cold._

**_Jim:_ ** _I still feel awful. How the hell did we not even think to ask if she’d started her period yet?_

**_Melanie:_ ** _No girl her age wants to talk about their period, Jim. It was hard enough, telling my own Father that I needed tampons and Midol. Plus, Lenny’s got a knack of freaking out over every little thing and I don’t think she’s ready for that yet. Just let her process the fact that she’s a late bloomer and eventually she’ll talk about it._

**_Jim:_ ** _I don’t want her to be embarrassed to come to me or Len, Mel. She’s our daughter and I want her to feel comfortable with telling us these things. I mean, she gets a free pass for seven days to be mean and snappy with us!_

**_Melanie:_ ** _Then tomorrow I will tell her to talk to you, but do NOT tell my brother. Just enjoy your night, screwing each other into the mattress and tomorrow we’ll deal with this. She’s asleep and if she wakes up in the middle of the night feeling worse, I will come get you._

So caught up in texting, Jim didn’t realize they were back at the hotel, until Leonard nudged him.

 

“You ready to go?” Leonard asked, as Jim looked up from his phone. “Everything okay?”

 

Jim nodded and smiled, “Yeah,’ he said. “Let me just tell your sister that we’re going to have hot, raunchy sex.”

 

Leonard rolled his eyes as they stepped off the bus, “Don’t tease her, Jim,” he warned, as they walked. “You know she can’t do anything tonight with the kids around.”

 

**_Jim:_ ** _We’re downstairs and heading up to our room now. If she wakes up and needs us, you come get us. If not, we’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast. Hugs and kisses to the girls and goodnight._

Turning off the phone, Jim slipped it back into his pocket and took Leonard by the hand. Despite the dread over Joanna’s sudden graduation from girlhood into womanhood, without either of them there to console her, they still needed to get through the night. Tomorrow, they would face their new challenge, refreshed and ready. 


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning, Jim and Leonard woke early, taking turns with the shower and getting ready for the day. Both exhausted after their late night activities, they made their way over to the Pike’s room by nine-fifteen, knocking lightly on the door.

 

“Someone’s at the doooorrrrrr!” Charlotte crooned. “Mommmmmmyyyyy!”

 

“Charlotte, will you stop?” Chris scolded, as he made his way to the door. “Jo’s sleeping and so is Olivia.”

 

The locks turned and the door swung open, as Chris stood before the couple in his pajamas. “You’re early,” he said, as they stepped inside. “I figured you’d be up and over here around ten the latest.”

 

“Yeah well..” Leonard shrugged, as Charlotte ran over to them. “We figured all the kids would be up and ready to stuff their faces.”

 

“Sophie and Charlie are,” he said, nodding to the five year old. “But Liv’s still sleeping and Jo had a rough night.”

 

Jim paled, as Leonard frowned. “What do you mean?” he asked, as Charlotte clung to Jim’s leg.

 

“Ah, you know,” Chris rambled, as Melanie came out of the bedroom.

 

“Hey!” she smiled, as Jim thanked his lucky stars. “Jo’s in the bathroom and Sophie’s trying to get Liv out of bed. Could you be a dear and go make sure she doesn’t crack her head on the night stand?”

 

Chris nodded and started for the room, “And you, little miss, you need to get some clothes on,” Melanie said, as Charlotte giggled. “Go pick out something to wear and have Daddy help you.”

 

“Kay!” she nodded, rushing after her father, while Melanie stood with Leonard and Jim.

 

“So? How was your night of freedom?” she asked, grinning. “How much of an imprint did you leave behind on that mattress?”

 

Before Jim could answer, Leonard quickly cut in. “What’s wrong with Jo?” he asked. “Chris said she had a rough night.”

 

Melanie blinked, unsure of what to say, which made her brother groan. “Mellie…” he started, just as Joanna came shuffling out.

 

The teen froze on the spot, her eyes going wide as she started at her parents. “Jo, darlin’,” Leonard sighed in relief, as he made his way over to her. “Are you okay? I heard you had a rough night.”

 

“You told him!?!” Joanna exclaimed, glaring at Melanie. “You promised!”

 

Leonard frowned, “Told me what?” he asked, looking from his daughter to his sister. “What the hell’s going on?”

 

Melanie sighed, “The three of you, in my room,” she shook her head. “NOW!”

 

As Jim, Leonard and Joanna quickly went into the other room, Melanie quickly gave Chris the job of getting the girls dressed and ready for breakfast, while she broke the news to Leonard that his little girl was not so little anymore.

 

“Good luck,” Chris said, shaking his head. “Better you than me, that’s for sure.”

 

Melanie scowled, “Just wait until it’s your turn, Chris,” she hissed. “Who’s gonna save you then?”

 

…………

 

Once Melanie explained the events from the night before, she left her brother and Jim alone in the room with Joanna, grabbing clothes for both her and Chris, so they could talk.

 

“So…” Leonard cleared his throat, as Joanna shifted on the bed. “Do you have any questions for us? Like.. about…uh.”

 

Jim shook his head, “Jo, you know you can come and talk to us about anything and everything,” he said, as the teen closed her eyes. “You shouldn’t feel embarrassed about this because it’s part of growing up.”

 

“Everyone knows now, though!” Joanna yelped. “Uncle Chris knows, which is totally embarrassing and now you both know! I’m sure you’ll go and call Grandpa up and tell him, too!”

 

“Honey, we’re not going to call Grandpa up to tell him that you started your period,” Leonard shook his head, as the teen shook her head. “Sweetheart, this isn’t something that just comes as a surprise. And it’s not like we’re going to have a big discussion over family dinner about it either.”

 

Jim nodded in agreement, “So Uncle Chris knows,” he shrugged. “You gave him a good old scare and maybe it’ll make him work on preparing himself for when Charlie and the twins go through this in a few years.”

 

The teen snorted, as Leonard went to sit next to her. “I wish you’d tell us these things, Jo,” he said. “Granted, no one wants to tell their old man that they got their period for the first time,” he said, as Joanna grimaced. “But I would be very worried if you didn’t get it at all.”

 

“Besides, we would’ve realized sooner or later if you needed pads or tampons,” Jim said. “We may be men and stupid in some areas, but we all know about that time of the month.”

 

Joanna groaned, covering her face quickly. “Daddddd!” she whined, as Jim chuckled. “That’s not funny.”

 

Leonard laughed as well, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “Yes it is,” he sighed. “I know you feel icky right now and embarrassed, but technically you have seven days of eating whatever you want and being a bratty teenager.”

 

Her eyes lit up at that, “To an extent,” Leonard warned. “Now, when we go home, we’ll get a bunch of stuff at the store and we’ll make sure to have everything you need at the ready for the next month. And if you want to, you can always talk to Aunt Nyota and Aunt Gaila about this stuff. Even Aunt Mellie, if it’s too weird to ask us questions about certain things.”

 

“I’ll get some stuff from Aunt Mellie and her bag of magic tricks,” Jim said. “And I think a nice stack of chocolate chip pancakes are in order for you, missy.”

 

“Really?” Joanna asked, as Jim came over to kiss her on the forehead.

 

Jim nodded, “And tonight, we’ll do some laundry and then we can watch some crappy cable and eat loads of cake.”

 

From the outside the bedroom, they could hear the girls whining about waitng for breakfast, while Melanie scolded them for being “rude” as they finished getting ready for the day.

 

“You and Daddy go on next door, so you can get ready,” Jim said, as they stood. “I’ll get the stuff from Aunt Mellie and I’ll bring it over.”

 

As Jim opened the door, he heard Leonard asking Joanna how she felt at the moment, as they followed him.

 

“Hungry,” the teen admitted. “A little tired too.”

 

“Everything good?” Melanie asked, as Leonard and Joanna started for the door. “We’re going to head down to get some food.”

 

Jim nodded, “Jo’s going to get dressed,” he said, as both father and daughter stepped outside. “Could I get a couple tampons from you, that way we have them on stand-by at the park?”

 

Melanie nodded, “Of course,” she said, turning to Chris. “You wanna take them down? I wont be long.”

 

“Yeah,” he said, as Olivia and Sophia began to whine. “Okay, okay! I know you’re hungry.”

 

Leading the girls outside, Melanie quickly went to get a few tampons from the bathroom, while Jim retrieved Joanna’s cellphone from the nightstand.

 

“How’d it go?” Melanie asked, coming out with enough feminine products for an army of women. “Lenny seems… fine.”

 

“She’s embarrassed but we gave her a free pass for being a hormonal wreck for seven days,” he shrugged, taking the tampons and pads from her. “I think if we give her enough chocolate today and have an easy night in, she’ll be fine.”

 

Melanie smiled, “Good,” she said, nodding. “Those should last you til tomorrow. Make sure she changes the tampon and pad, whenever she uses the bathroom. And do not go over eight hours without changing either.”

 

Jim nodded, “Got it!” he said, as she picked up the packed diaper bag. “We’ll meet you downstairs in ten minutes!”

 

…………..

 

After a fun-filled day in _Magic Kingdom,_ everyone decided that a night in was just what they needed. An early dinner, followed by some laundry time on the McCoy’s end, with the possibility of going back to the park for the fireworks, was the plan for the evening. It was their last full day in Disney, though they did promise one more morning in _Magic Kingdom_ before their check out late the next day.

 

“Daddy, what are you eating for dinner?” Charlotte asked, as they waited on the line for food.

 

“Hmmmm,” Chris shrugged, reading the options for that night. “How about spaghetti and meatballs?” he asked, looking down at her.

 

Charlotte nodded, “Can they put extra cheese on mine?” she asked, holding onto his hand tightly. “Lots of cheese!”

 

He chuckled, “Okay,” he said, nodding. “Extra, extra cheese for you.”

 

Across the food court, Melanie waited as patiently as she could with the twins, as their orders for Mickey shaped chicken nuggets cooked.

 

“What are you in the mood for, Jo-beans?” Jim asked, as the teen read the menu. “I’m liking the sound of that chili cheese dog.”

 

Melanie snorted, “Len’ll love it when you’re on the toilet all night long,” she pointed out, earning a scowl from him.

 

“I really want a double bacon cheese burger and cheese fries,” Joanna said, blushing. “Unless that’s too much cheese.”

 

“Honey, you can get whatever you want,” Jim said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “Just make sure you save enough room in there for that chocolate cake.”

 

She smiled and nodded, giving her order in to the cook behind the counter, along with Jim’s.

 

“Mama! I hungee now!” Sophia whined, as she tugged on her pants. “I eats my Mickey now.”

 

“Sophie, it’s cooking,” Melanie sighed, as the toddler pouted. “Be patient please.”

 

Another ten minutes went by, as the twins grew restless, when their food was finished.

 

“See?” Melanie said, as she set the paper trays down onto the plastic one. “Now we have to get Mommy’s food and meet up with Daddy and Charlie.”

 

Just as Melanie and the twins moved to the middle of the food court, Chris and Charlotte stepped of theirs with their tray.

 

“Mommy! I got spah-getty and meatballs!” Charlotte squealed, bouncing on her toes. “They gave us bread too!”

 

“That sounds yummy, Charlie,” Melanie said, as she looked at Chris. “Do you want to pay for this first? I can’t carry another thing and I still have to get my food.”

 

Chris frowned, “Why didn’t you order anything with the kids?” he asked, as Jim and Joanna walked up to them. “Give Jim your tray and go get something, Mel. By the time you pay and get the kids situated, they’ll be done with their food once you have yours.”

 

“Give it here, Mel,” Jim said, holding his hands out. “I still have to wait for Bones, who’s more pickier than a kid.”

 

Handing everything over, Melanie quickly went back on the line, while her brother made his way over to the group with his own tray. It took another ten minutes to wait for a burger, as the twins took on the early stages of a meltdown, having to wait to eat their food.

 

“Look,” Chris said, nodding to Melanie. “Mommy’s got her food and we can go pay the lady now.”

 

“Piaaaaaaaa!” Olivia whined, as her sister stomped her foot. “Pia no!”

 

Melanie glared at them both, “The two of you are going to get it,” she warned, as they went up to pay. “No ice pops if you keep acting up like this.”

 

They quickly fell silent, scowling as they followed Chris over to a table. Once they were tucked in and their meals placed in front of them, all their worries from before simply vanished, as they ate happily.

 

“How’s that burger, Jo?” Leonard asked, as the teen ate heartily. “That’s a lot of bacon there.”

 

She giggled, trying her best not to choke on her food, while Jim snickered. “I take it that you like it?” he asked, as she nodded. “Good.”

 

“What do you think, Charlie?” Chris asked, as she ate her spaghetti. “Better than what I make you?”

 

Charlotte shook her head, “You always make the bestest stuffs, Daddy,” she said, as he wiped her face clean with a napkin. “But these have baby meatballs in it.”

 

“Just sit quietly and watch the cartoons if you’re done eating,” Melanie said, as Sophia wiggled in her chair. “If you move an inch off that seat, you’re going to bed early.”

 

“So, what’s the plan tonight?” Leonard asked, setting down a dirty napkin. “Should we start packing now or tomorrow?”

 

“I would start tonight,” Melanie said, taking a sip from her glass. “I’m not running around like crazy tomorrow, packing up everything and making sure we have all the toys and stuff in the bags.”

 

Jim nodded, “So we’ll pack everything tonight and we’ll leave out two sets of clothes tomorrow,” he shrugged. “Just in case we do go to the park early in the morning.”

 

“I wish we could stay forever,” Charlotte sighed, pouting. “Can we?”

 

Chris chuckled, “We have to go home, honey,” he said, as she groaned. “Don’t you want to see Julie? And I’m pretty sure your frogs miss you a lot, as well as Callie and Claude.”

 

“Can we come back next summer?”

 

“If you’re good for the rest of the year, maybe,” Chris said, as Charlotte leaned into him. “But I think we did good for our first time here, yeah? We met a lot of people and went on a lot of rides.”

 

Melanie smiled as he continued, “Just wait until you tell everyone at school what you did this summer, Charlie girl.”

 

“I think tonight we’ll skip the fireworks,” Leonard said, as everyone tossed their empty paper trays together. “I’ll do some laundry and we’ll try to get to sleep early tonight, especially if we want to go to the park in the morning.”

 

Everyone nodded, “Mommy, can I look in the gift shop?” Charlotte asked. “I want to see if they have something for Julie.”

 

“Honey, you got Julie a bunch of things earlier in the week,” Melanie said, as she stood up.

 

“I wanna get her a friendship bracelet!” she said, climbing off her chair. “Please? Pretty please with a cherry on top!”

 

Chris snorted, “You want me to take her?” he asked, picking up the tray. “That way you can take those two upstairs and start on the packing?”

 

She nodded, “But do not sucker your way into getting anything other than the bracelets,” she warned. “You got a lot of stuff this week, Charlie.”

 

“I wont!” she nodded, as Chris took her hand. “Come on, Daddy! Before it’s too late to get one!”

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

“Do you think Julie will like her bracelet, Daddy?”

 

Chris shifted the tray of treats in one hand, and pressed the up button on the elevator. “I don’t see why not,” he said, looking down at Charlotte. “You made sure the girl put all the beads for her favorite princesses and it had all her favorite colors on it.”

 

Charlotte nodded, “I hope she likes all the stuffs I picked out for her,” she beamed, as the doors opened. “Next summer, Uncle Hikaru should bring Julie and her mommy to Disney with us!”

 

“We’ll have to plead your case to him when we get home,” he chuckled, reaching the door to their hotel room. “I wonder if Mommy and your sisters are in here packing or if they went down to help with laundry.”

 

Using the key card, Chris pushed the door open and was met with two naked toddlers and a frustrated wife.

 

“Sophia, you need to get ready for your bath!” Melanie shouted from their room. “Or you wont get a single thing later from downstairs.”

 

“NO!” Sophia shouted, as she ran by.

 

Olivia stood in the doorway of Chris and Melanie’s room, pouting. “Pia! We swim now!” she stomped her foot. “NOW!”

 

Chris set the tray down on the table and quickly grabbed Sophia before she could run, making her screech.

 

“What did Mommy say?” he asked, leading her back to the bedroom, as she wiggled in his arms. “You take your bath or you get nothing for dessert.”

 

“Dadee, nooooooo!” Sophia whined, as Melanie got Olivia into the bath. “No!!!”

 

Setting her into the soapy water, Chris stood back and gave her a look that meant he wasn’t kidding around. “If you sit like a good girl and wash up, I’ll give you the ice cream I have outside.”

 

Olivia, in the middle of dunking her ducks into the water, squealed. “Ice pop!!” she beamed. “Ice pop! Ice pop!”

 

Melanie sighed, grabbing the bottle of shampoo of the side of the tub, “Did Charlie give you a hard time down in the store?” she asked, squirting out a decent amount in her hand.

 

“No, she was good,” he said, as she lathered up Olivia’s hair. “The bracelets came out really cute actually. She can’t wait to give Julie her stuff and she’s going to see about getting Hikaru to take her and Louisa next summer to Disney.”

 

“I bet you he will,” Melanie smiled, as she worked on Sophia. “Louisa was saying that it’s getting serious between the two of them, which makes her both happy and relieved. She hasn’t dated anyone since Julie’s dad died.”

 

Chris moved to lean against the counter, pushing the towels and clean clothes aside. “How did it happen?” he asked, as Melanie rinsed the water out of Olivia’s hair. “Charlie mentioned it once in passing after everything happened with you going into the hospital.”

 

“They were on the middle of getting divorced when he OD’d,” Melanie said quietly, moving to sit down next to the tub. “He was cheating on Louisa all throughout the pregnancy and she found out shortly after Julie was born.”

 

“Oh wow,” Chris shook his head, as Melanie nodded. “That’s terrible.”

 

Melanie sighed, “Tell me about it,” she shook her head. “Anyways, Louisa kicked him out and told him that they were done. That he wouldn’t get a single thing from her and that he was to have no contact with Julie for what he did. So, of course, he panicked and promised to change. But she didn’t believe him, so when Julie was six months old, he OD’d on a bunch of stuff and that was that.”

 

“’ Ulie!” Sophia pouted, as she knelt up in the tub. “’ Ulie play wif us?”

 

“Julie’s at home,” Melanie said, as she handed her a rubber duck. “We’ll play with Julie when we go home tomorrow.”

 

Chris sighed, “I hope this works out between Hikaru and Louisa” he said, pushing away from the counted. “They’re cute together and Julie adores him.”

 

“I hope so too,” Melanie murmured.

 

Bending down, Chris pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “I’m going to check on Charlie and make sure that ice-cream doesn’t look like soup,” he said, as she leaned into the kiss. “Then I’ll help you pack.”

 

…………..

 

Downstairs, Leonard was in the middle of folding up the laundry, when Jim and Joanna came into the room.

 

“Hey,” Jim greeted him, smiling. “Jo and I were going to head in to get some ice cream. Are you in the mood for any?”

“I’m always in the mood for ice cream,” Leonard snickered, as Jim kissed his cheek. “How’s the packing going?”

 

Joanna yawned, “It’s going,” she shrugged. “All of my clothes are out of the dresser and in the bag. I just need to pack up everything we bought.”

 

Leonard nodded, “Well, I have your bathing suit here and a few other things washed up,” he said, nodding to the pile. “Your towel is in here too, so when you take a shower later, don’t soak it.”

 

“You want your usual or something different?” Jim asked, as Leonard folded up another towel.

 

“I’m just about done here if you want to wait, “ said Leonard. “Unless the princess here is dying for her dessert.”

 

Joanna scowled, “We can wait for you,” Jim nodded, giving his husband a warning look. “I just figured we’d get it for you and meet you upstairs, but we can wait.”

 

Helping him with the last of the laundry, Leonard placed all the folded up towels and clothes back into the bag, and shouldered it. “When we get home, we’re all going on diets,” Leonard sighed, as they started across the property to the food court. “I think I gained enough weight for the three of us combined.”

 

“You do look a little flabby there, Daddy,” Joanna said, smiling innocently at him. “I think you should join the gym with Aunt Gaila and Uncle Scotty.”

 

“I could also forget about taking you to the mall when we get back,” he pointed out, knowing how badly she wanted to update her fall wardrobe. “Those coupons you got from that store could just magically disappear.”

 

Joanna gasped, shocked that he would even joke around about something like that. “Don’t’ worry, Jo,” Jim shook his head. “I’ll still take you to the mall.”

 

………….

“Ugh, I’m going to have the worst heartburn later,” Melanie groaned, as she dipped another tortilla chip into the little container of guacamole. “Why’d ya have to go and get this?”

 

“Because I wanted it,” Chris shrugged, as Charlotte came running into the room. “And we haven’t had guacamole in a long time.”

 

Charlotte climbed up onto the bed and sat in front of their small feast, “What’s that?” she asked, pointing to the food between them. “It looks like boogers.”

 

Chuckling, Chris scooped out a little bit onto a chip and handed it to her. “It’s good,” he nodded, as Charlotte eyed it cautiously. “Charlie, would I ever lie to you about food?”

 

Taking it, Charlotte took a slow and small bite, giggling, as the chip broke apart. “Oh, look at you making a mess,” Chris teased, picking up the broken pieces.

 

“It’s hot!” she gasped, sticking her tongue out. “I need water!”

 

Melanie handed over a bottle of water, “When Daddy makes it, it’s not too spicy,” she shrugged, as Charlotte gulped down a decent amount of the water.

 

“Can you make it for me when we go home?” Charlotte asked, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “And can you make spaghetti with baby meatballs? And potatoes with bacon and cheese?”

 

“Good lord,” Chris chuckled, as Charlotte took a tortilla chip. “I guess I’ll be cooking everyday when we get back.”

 

Charlotte nodded, as Melanie stood from the bed. “I’m going to see what those two are doing, since it’s awfully quiet.,” she said, moving towards the door. “And don’t eat all that guacamole yourself, Christopher.”

 

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t!” Charlotte giggled, as she took another chip. “Daddy! Those are Mommy’s!”

 

Melanie laughed as Charlotte squealed, pushing the door to the other room open. Peering into the room, Melanie found both of the twins curled up in their bed, playing quietly with their toys. On the table, were the remains of their dessert, the evidence left behind on their faces as they turned to look at her.

 

“Mama!” Sophia waved. “Pway wif us?”

 

“What are you two doing?” Melanie asked, as she made her way over to the bed. “You’re both very quiet, which is not normal.”

 

Olivia babbled, holding up her toys. “Oh, I see, ”Melanie nodded, as she petted the toy on the head. “Look at these faces! I guess you liked your ice cream, huh?”

 

“Ice cream yum, yum!” she nodded, as Melanie fixed her pajamas. “Pway!”

 

“How about we wash our hands and faces? Then we can go play with Daddy and Charlie?” she offered, as Sophia pushed her toys around on the bed. “Come on! We’ll play for a little while and then it’s off to bed.”

 

Picking them up one at a time, Melanie led them into the bathroom and quickly washed them up. Drying them off with a towel, she pulled the door open and ordered them out.

  
“Go on! Get your toys and go find Daddy and Charlie!” she said, as they squealed.

 

Grabbing their toys, the twins rushed off, shrieking as they moved. “DADEEE! ‘ARIE!”

 

Upon entering the other room, Chris and Charlie let out shocked shouts and squeals, as the twins attacked.

 

“Oh no! It’s Sophie and Liv!” Chris cried, as they screeched. “I guess they took Mommy out and now they’re after us!”

 

“OW! SOPHIE BIT ME!” Charlotte shrieked, as the toddler giggled.

 

Melanie quickly made her way into the bedroom, spotting Charlotte at the head of the bed, holding her finger to her chest. Sophia on the other hand, stood on the mattress, giggling while Chris scolded her for such bad behavior.

 

“We do not bite,” he said, holding both of her hands in one. “No biting, Sophie. Now say you’re sorry. 

 

“Saaarayyyyy,” she huffed, moving away from Chris. “O’Ivvie, pway!”

 

Shaking her head, Melanie moved the tray of crushed chips and guacamole to the table, before sitting down on the bed.

 

Charlotte sat next to her, scowling as her sisters played, while holding her hand to her chest. 

“Can we leave Sophie here,” she asked, as the girl threw her toys off the bed. “She can live with the other baby animals.”

 

“No, we cannot leave your sister here,” Chris said, shaking his head. “But she does resemble a baby animal, huh?”

 

He ignored the glare Melanie shot him, while Charlotte giggled. “A baby monkey!” she nodded, as Olivia crawled over to them. “Liv’s a baby pig!”

 

“’Iggy!” Olivia squealed, as she climbed all over Chris. “Dadee, I sweep now,” she informed him, laying her head against his chest with a yawn.

 

Melanie snickered, “One down, two to go,” she said, as Sophia rolled around on the bed. “Then I can finally finish packing up this place.”

 


	13. Chapter 13

It was early when Chris woke up, as Charlotte slipped her way between her parents in the bed.

 

“What are you doing, Charlie?” he sighed, as she peered up at him. “It’s four-thirty in the morning.”

 

“I can’t sleep, Daddy. I don’t want to go home today,” she pouted, as he wrapped his arm around her. “Can’t we stay longer?”

 

Next to them, Melanie stirred slightly, before rolling away from them. “We can’t stay,” Chris said, as Charlotte groaned. “I think a week was enough for you and your sisters, Charlie girl. Disneyworld isn’t going anywhere.”

 

Charlotte pouted, “It’s still early and the food court wont be open for some time,” Chris yawned. “You should go back to sleep for now.”

 

“Can I stay in here?” she whispered. “I don’t want to go back into the other room, Daddy.”

 

“You can stay,” he nodded, pulling her closer. “Just try not to kick too much or steal the blankets.”

 

……………

 

It was eight-thirty, when two sleepy three year olds, climbed into the bed, waking both their parents up.

 

“Oh noooo,” Melanie groaned, pulling the sheet up and over her head. “Too early.”

 

“I hungee,” Sophia pouted, as she tried to yank the sheet down. “Hungee nowwwww!”

 

Chris sat up and pulled Sophia across the bed and placed her down next to him, “Relax,” he said, as she squawked. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that patience is a virtue?”

 

At the foot of the bed, Olivia curled up on her side, resting her head on Hamm, and watched as her twin caused havoc on their parents. Charlotte on the other hand, sat up between the pillows and watched as Chris tried to keep Sophia from diving onto Melanie.

 

“How about we all use the potty and brush our teeth?” he suggested, when Sophia wouldn’t sit still for more than a second. “Let Mommy sleep for a little longer, that way she can be wide awake to eat.”

 

“’Ones?” Sophia asked, blinking at him. “’Ones ‘N ‘Im hungee now?”

 

Chris nodded, as he pulled himself out of bed, “I’ll call Uncle Bones and Uncle Jim after we brush our teeth,” he said, setting her down on the floor. “Let’s go. The three of you go on and use the potty.”

 

Once the kids scrambled off the bed and out of the room, Chris laid back down on top of the blankets and sighed.

 

“Today is going to suck,” Melanie mumbled, as she rolled over to face him. “I should’ve bought children’s Benadryl or something to knock them all out for the flight.”

 

He snorted, “So they can be up all night when we get home?” he asked, as she opened her eyes. “Let’s tire them out, that way when five rolls around, they’ll be out cold.”

 

“Daddddyyyy!” Charlotte yelled, as a peal of giggles broke out. “Sophie’s going pee pee in the bathtub!”

 

Melanie let out a groan, as Chris quickly got out of bed. “Sophia Grace!” he shouted, as he moved through the hotel room. “We do NOT use the bath tub as a toilet bowl!”

 

Pushing the blankets off, Melanie pulled herself out of bed and headed into her own bathroom, flipping the lights on. Grabbing her toothbrush, Melanie turned the faucet on and picked up the toothpaste from the counter top. From the other room, she heard shrieking from the kids and Chris scolding them, along with the clatter of objects hitting the floor.

 

“Dammit, Sophia!”

 

Melanie shook her head, rinsing her mouth out, while setting the toothbrush down on the counter, suddenly wishing that she’d packed sleeping pills for the flight home.

 

……………

 

By the time everyone was dressed and ready for breakfast, it was ten-thirty. Leonard, Jim and Joanna were already downstairs and waiting, holding a table until the Pike’s arrived with their three children.

 

“Go,” Chris shook his head, letting go of Sophia’s hand. “For the love of god, just go over to the table.”

 

Jim glanced at Leonard and winced, knowing that both Melanie and Chris had a rough morning, by the looks of their exhausted appearances and Sophia’s wild outburst whens he reached them.

 

“What did you do, Sophie?” Leonard asked, as he pulled the girl onto his lap. “Are you being a bad girl?”

 

“A pain in the you know what,” Chris shook his head, as Olivia beamed at Jim. “These two are being good, shockingly, but that one is this close to spending the rest of the summer in he room.”

 

Sophia stuck her tongue out at him, earning a scolding lecture from Leonard, while Charlotte took her father’s hand in his.

 

“I think you should get Mickey waffles,” she said, as Chris looked down at her.

 

“Oh yeah?” he asked, as she nodded. “Why’s that?”

 

Charlotte shrugged, “That way you can be happy,” she said, the most logical option in her mind. “And that smelly grown up drink you and Mommy have for breakfast!”

 

He managed a smile, “You want Mickey waffles too?” he asked, as Leonard set Sophia down on the chair next to his.

 

“Yes! And orange juice!” Charlotte smiled, as she climbed into her own chair. “I’ll watch the babies, Daddy!”

 

“Are we all set on what we want?” Jim asked, as Olivia sat in the chair next to Melanie. “Do you want us to bring one of them?”

 

She shook her head, “You guys go on and get the food,” she said, as Charlotte set a napkin down on her lap. “Jo and I will be fine.”

 

Chris leaned down to kiss her, “If you’re not here when I get back, then I’ll assume that you took Sophia back up to the room.”

 

“You bet your ass I will,” she said, watching as the hyper three year old, pulled the napkins out of the dispenser on the table. “Sophia, I will take back everything you got this week if you don’t stop it.”

 

The little pink tongue slipped in and out of Sophia’s mouth, as she blew a raspberry at her. “No, no, no, no,” she chanted in between, giggling as her mother glared at her.

 

“Good luck,” Leonard snorted, as he and Jim made their way into the food court.

 

“Try not to kill one another,” Chris sighed as he started away from the table. “You better be good, Sophia. Remember what I said about spending the rest of the summer in your room!”

 

………..

“Can you get your bath toys for me?” Chris asked, as he sat on the floor in front of the twins’ suitcase. “They’re on the chair over there.”

 

Olivia squealed, running towards the table near the window. “Duckeeeee!” she screeched, picking up the plastic case, containing all six of her Mickey inspired rubber ducks.

 

She ran back over to him, holding the case out. “Thank you,” he chuckled, taking it from her. “Do we have to put anything else in here?”

 

She shrugged, leaning against his arm, watching as he packed up the remainder of their clothes and toys. “I holds my “iggy,” she said, as he packed in their pajamas from the night before. “I holds my ‘iggy, Dadee.”

 

“You can take your piggy on the plane,” Chris nodded. “Go get your backpack and I’ll help you put your stuff in it.”

 

As Olivia ran off to get her things, the cellphone went off. Grabbing it, Chris saw that it was Melanie calling and quickly answered it. “Hey. What are you guys doing? We have to get this place packed up and bring all the bags downstairs.”

 

“I was getting snacks for the plane,” Melanie said. “Do you want a blanket?”

 

“A what?” he asked, as Olivia came back in with her bag.

 

Melanie sighed, “A blanket, Christopher,” she said, saying it slowly. “Jim and I are down here with Charlie in the gift shop. He wanted to do some last minute shopping and I saw these cute blankets that they marked down.”

 

“Mel, if you buy anything else, we’ll never get these suitcases closed,” he warned, as Olivia started bringing her toys over to him. “It was hard enough putting the last of the toys in this suitcase alone.”

 

“Our suitcase is big enough, Chris,” she pointed out, as Charlotte babbled in the background. “If I have to, I’ll bring one on the plane and the girls could use it if they get cold.”

 

Olivia dropped her pigs on the floor and giggled, “’Iggy go bye bye!” she said, waving at them. “Bye bye!”

 

Chris sighed, “Just hurry up and don’t go overboard,” he said, as Olivia danced around the room. “I still have to get Sophia from your brother and we need to figure out what the hell we’re bringing on the plane.”

 

“I’ll be up soon,” Melanie promised. “I’ll get Sophia and you just worry about getting all their toys from under the bed and in the dresser drawers.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbled, hanging up the phone. “Mommy’s shopping again, Liv.”

 

She shook her head, blonde curls bobbing and swaying, “Mama, no shop!” she said, as he pulled her in for a hug. “Mama no shop.”

 

Chris chuckled,” I wish she would stop shopping,” he sighed, as she kissed his cheek. “It’s bad enough that Charlie has to get clothes for school when we get back.”

 

“’Arie go bye bye?”

 

“Charlie’s going to school with Julie next month,” he said, as she pouted. “So it’s gonna be you and Sophie again, driving us crazy until she comes home.”

 

Olivia wiggled in his arms and pointed to her toy pigs on the floor, “My “Iggy!” she squeaked. “Dadee, my “iggy pway wif us.”

 

He smiled and nodded, “Your pigs will play with us,” he said, as she beamed at him. “Come on my piggy girl. Let’s get the rest of the this stuff put away and then we’ll bring your bag out to the other room.”

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

“Are we ready?” Melanie called out, as she zipped the carry on bag shut. “We have to go downstairs and drop our bags off and check out at the front desk!”

 

There was a loud shout, followed by a peal of giggles, as the twins ran about the room. “Um,” Chris groaned. “Give me a minute.”

 

Melanie rolled her eyes and stepped out of the bedroom, watching as Chris laid out on the floor, while the twins ran around.

 

“What happened?” she asked, as he groaned, covering his face with an arm.

 

“They all have knees of steel,” Chris whimpered, curling up onto his side. “Jesus Christ, I hope you weren’t planning on having anymore kids.”

 

Shaking her head, Melanie quickly grabbed Olivia and Sophia by the arm and pulled them towards her. “I want you two to get all your stuff out of your room,” she said, as they tugged against her. “Make sure you have all your toys. Now.”

 

Letting them go, Melanie went over and held her hand out to Chris. “Maybe you shouldn’t give them a clear target,” she said, as he sat up. “Makes it easier for them to hit the treasure.”

 

“Not funny,” he groaned, leaning against the sofa. “It’s like they _know_ it hurts when they hit that area.”

 

“Oh god,” Melanie rolled her eyes. “I’m going to check their room for any missed toys or clothes.”

 

He nodded, whimpering, as she moved into the other room, calling out for the girls. Charlotte, who spent the rest of the morning sulking over their upcoming departure, came out of the room with her backpack and a shopping bag in hand.

 

“Hey, baby doll,” Chris managed a smile, though the pain that radiated between his legs, made it difficult. “You have everything packed up?”

 

She nodded, setting the items down on the floor next to him. “Do we really _have_ to go? “she pouted, leaning against him.

 

“I know you don’t want to leave,” Chris started, as he tugged at her ponytail lightly. “But this wont be the last time that we’ll come here.”

 

“Promise?”

 

Chris sighed and nodded, “I promise, Charlie girl,” he said. “Maybe next time we’ll stay in _The Little Mermaid_ room.”

 

Charlotte nodded and hugged him, resting her head against his shoulder. “Can I sit next to you on the aero-plane?” she asked. “Sophie and Liv gots to sit with you when we came here.”

 

“You can sit with me,” he nodded, as Sophia came barreling out of the bedroom. “How about we get a bunch of snacks before we leave? That way you guys have enough food to eat on the plane.”

 

“Chicken nuggets?” she asked, smiling innocently at him.

 

Chris snorted, “We can eat chicken nuggets as we wait for the bus,” he promised. “We’ll have to see if the grocery store sells Mickey shaped nuggets for you guys, since you ate your body weight and then some with those things.”

 

………..

 

As Melanie and Jim took the time to check out from the hotel, Leonard and Chris took the role of babysitting. The luggage sat neatly against the wall, while the kids ate their quick lunch of chicken nuggets and fries; a cartoon played on the television in the waiting area, keeping them extra occupied as the time went by.

 

“Jesus, I can only imagine what we’ll have to throw out from our refrigerator,” Leonard grumbled, as he stole a fry from Charlotte.

 

“Hey! Uncle Bones!” she gasped, as he snickered.

 

Chris sighed, “It shouldn’t be too bad for you guys,” he said. “We have three little ones that have big appetites. Our food bill is going to be insane and now we have to hunt for Mickey shaped chicken nuggets and god knows what else.”

 

“Well, the appetite they got from their Mama,” Leonard shook his head, glancing over at his sister and husband. “If Jim and I see anything Mickey related at the warehouse, we’ll pick some up for you guys.”

 

“Dadee, I done!” Olivia said, as she held up her tray. “I done!”

 

Grabbing the napkins from the table, Chris took the tray and set it aside, so he could wipe the ketchup off her face.

 

“Do you have to use the potty?” he asked, as she stood patiently for him. “It’s going to be a long ride on the bus.”

 

“I go potty now!” she nodded, as Sophia stood up. “Pia, we go potty now.”

 

Sophia nodded, wiggling around on the spot, her face and hands covered in ketchup. “I go pottyyyyy!”

 

Joanna sighed and stood, “I’ll take them,” she said, holding out her hands. “Don’t touch your clothes, Sophie! You’ll make a mess and your Mommy will be very upset.”

 

Leading the girls down to the restroom, Chris tossed the garbage out and set the trays down on the shelf above the can.

 

“I’m going to miss Cindy-rella,” Charlotte sighed, as she set her food down next to her. “Do you think she’s going to miss me?”

 

“Of course she will,” Leonard gasped, as she looked up at him. “I can’t imagine how Cindy’s going to spend the rest of the year without seeing your face!”

 

Chris chuckled, “But I know she’ll be really happy to see you next summer,” he said, moving to sit down next to her.

 

“I hope so,” Charlotte pouted, as Jim and Melanie made their way over to them. “At least Uncle Jim looks like Cindy.”

 

Leonard snorted, covering his laughter with a strangled cough, as his husband came over.

 

“What’s so funny?” Jim asked, as Melanie set her bag down with the others. “And where did the girls go off to?”

 

“Jo took them to the bathroom,” Chris said, snickering. “Everything okay?”

 

Melanie nodded, “We are no longer guests at the _Arts and Animation Resort,”_ she pouted. “But the lady gave us a bunch of stickers for the kids and thanked us profusely for choosing their resort.”

 

“Yeah, they thanked us by charging my credit card over eight thousand dollars,” Chris grumbled, as she sat down on the chair. “But it was worth it in the end, considering all the fun we had. Right, Charlie?”

 

Charlotte nodded, “Right, Daddy!” she smiled. “We saw lots of princesses and our favorite characters! And we ate yummy food and a lots of other stuffs!”

 

“And we’ll need a week to recuperate at home,” Melanie sighed. “I’m more tired now than I was when all of you were babies.”

 

“That cannot be true,” Chris shook his head, as Joanna and the twins came back. “Charlie and colic. Now that, was a period from hell in which you hardly slept or ate anything, until Charlie here got better.”

 

The fiver year old frowned, “What’s that?” she asked. “Colic? Is that when you get sick from eating too much broccoli?”

 

“No,” Chris chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s a bad cough that you had when you were a baby. You couldn’t sleep because it hurt too much and Mommy was up all night and day with you because of it.”

 

“Oh,” Charlotte nodded, looking upset at the thought. “I’m sorry, Mommy!”

 

Melanie, who was ambushed by the twins, smiled. “It’s okay, Charlie,” she said, nodding. “That was a long time ago and I forgave you. If I didn’t, you would be in boarding school off the coast of Russia by now.”

 

Chris scowled at her, “Can I go potty now?” Charlotte asked. “Before I have an accy-dent?”

 

“Let’s go potty,” he nodded. “Can you go by yourself or do you need Mommy to go with you?”

 

“I can go myself,” she nodded. “But can you wait for me outside the door? That way I don’t get lost?”

 

He nodded, “I can,” he said, pulling himself up off the floor. “Come on. Let’s go before you do have an accident.”

 

………….

 

 

After a two-hour bus ride, much to everyone’s annoyance, checking in at the airport was a breeze. Everything but their backpacks and a few other bags were checked in, as they went through security and finding seats in the terminal.

 

“It’s raining! ”Charlotte gasped, as the watched the planes land and take off from the window. “You can’t fly in the rain!”

 

“Planes fly in all kinds of weather,” Chris said, as a bolt of lightning ripped across the sky. “Though, this does look pretty bad.”

 

The five year old turned around and shook her head, “I don’t want to fly in the rain!” she said, her eyes wide with fear. “Can’t we tell the plane person to wait until it stops?”

 

“Mommy’s going to see about the plane being delayed,” he said, as she moved over to him. “It’s been raining since we left the hotel and that was almost three hours ago.”

 

Charlotte sighed, as she climbed up into the empty chair next to her father, watching as the rain fell outside the airport.

 

“When Mommy comes back we can get something to drink,” he offered, taking note of Charlotte’s distress. “I’ll even get you a cookie.”

 

She shrugged, “Can we get bubble gum?” she asked, trying all the stops to get what she wanted.

 

He snorted, “We’ll see,” he said. “Mommy’s coming back now with your sisters, so let’s see if they want anything.”

 

Melanie sighed as she set Olivia down on a chair, “Looks like our plane is leaving at seven instead of five,” she said, as Sophia squealed. “Goddamn weather!”

 

“So what the hell are we going to do?” Chris asked, taking hold of the wiggling three year old. “That’s four hours from now and I really don’t think these three are going to behave for that long.”

 

“I don’t know, Chris,” Melanie shook her head, annoyed and frustrated. “Do you think I know everything? Jesus Christ!”

 

Charlotte gasped, “No fighting!” she shook her head, her eyes wide. “I can ready my picture books and we can sleep!”

 

“See, Charlie’s got it covered,” Chris said, as she beamed at them. “Now we have to get those two to understand the plan and we should be good.”

 

Melanie scowled, “You say that now, but when one of them starts shrieking and running around,” she warned.

 

“Yes, I understand,” he nodded. “I will gladly accept that you are always right and I’m always wrong.”

 

She rolled her eyes, “Now, I was telling Charlie here that I would get her something to drink,” he said, nodding to their daughter. “Would you like something to drink?”

 

“Water would be fine,” Melanie said, shrugging. “The twins can drink from mine, so don’t worry about getting stuff for all of us.”

 

“Noted,” Chris nodded, as he stood up. “Come on, Charlie. Before she changes her mind and we have to sit and watch the planes come and go.”

 

…………..

 

Leonard sighed, “Fucking delayed,” he mumbled, as Jim read the board of departures and arrivals. “What the fuck.”

 

“It’s better than flying through a major thunderstorm,” Jim pointed out, rubbing his arm. “We’ll have to keep ourselves occupied until then and hopefully the time will fly quickly.”

 

“Yeah well,” he huffed, as Joanna came over with a very big frappuccino with extra whipped cream. “Good lord!”

 

Joanna beamed, “What?” she asked, taking a sip. “I am allowed to eat whatever I want this week.”

 

Jim snickered, “Yeah, but within reason,” Leonard grumbled. “All that sugar….”

 

“Oh relax,” Jim sighed, wrapping his arm around his waist. “Come on, Bones. I’ll get you a scone and a cup of coffee.”

 

“I’m going back to keep Aunt Mellie some company,” Joanna said. “I saw Uncle Chris and Charlie heading that way to get food.”

 

Leonard nodded, “Just be careful,” he warned. “And you text me or Dad when you get there.”

 

“Geeze, are you afraid she’s going to run off and board a flight to England or something?” Jim asked, as they got on line for coffee.

 

“Airports are one of the many places that could be a kidnapper’s dream, Jim,” Leonard sighed. “I just worry about her and the kids being alone for a second.”

 

Jim nodded, “That is true,” he said. “But I think Joanna would kick the shit out of anyone who tried to take her. She’s kicked my ass plenty of times, ever since I met her.”

 

“I remember that black and blue she gave you after play wrestling,” Leonard snickered, as the line moved forward. “You cried for hours about it.”

 

“That’s because I had my ass handed to me by a seven year old,” Jim snorted. “No one wants to admit that to anyone.”

 

Leonard chuckled, “S’cute though,” he sighed, nudging him with his elbow. “You with a bunch of kids climbing all over you is pretty damn cute.”

 

Jim blushed, “Hell, if you were a woman I would’ve knocked you up more than once in the last three years,” Leonard sighed.

 

“Well, I do declare Mr. McCoy,” Jim purred. “You better contain yourself until we get behind closed doors.”

 

“Who said it was me that had to contain anything?” Leonard whispered. “You’re the one that’s always jumpin’ my bones.”

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

When the plane finally landed in Seattle, it was a little after ten and the kids were awake and cranky.

 

“I know you’re hungry,” Melanie nodded, as Chris opened up the stroller for her. “As soon as we get the bags and get to the car, we will stop to get some food.”

 

Charlotte yawned widely, clutching her Nemo doll tightly to her chest, as her sisters cried in frustration. “Mommy, I still have cookies in my backpack.”

 

“Would it be okay if I gave your sisters a cookie?” Chris asked, as Leonard held the door to the elevator open for them.

 

She nodded and Chris knelt down to unzip the bag, pulling out the somewhat crushed cookies from the depths of her bag.

 

“Here we go,” he said, shaking the bag. “Eat these for now.”

 

The elevator went down to baggage claim, already crowded with passengers from various flights that had come in within the last hour.

 

“We’ll get the bags,” Jim said, as Melanie pushed the stroller towards the wall. “Then, Len and I will get the cars and pull them up outside to load up.”

 

She nodded, “That’s fine,” she said, handing Sophia a cookie. “I think we’ll stop at Wendy’s before the highway if you and Len want to join us. The faster we can get them food the easier the ride will be.”

 

Jim nodded, “Wendy’s is fine,” he said, putting his bag down next to the stroller. “It’s cheap and I don’t plan on doing anything except crashing into bed when we get home.”

 

“Stay with Mommy and be good,” Chris warned, as Charlotte stood by the stroller. “Are you going to be okay with them, while we get the bags?”

 

“We’ll be fine,” Melanie insisted, as she took another cookie out of the bag. “The faster you boys get our shit, the quicker we can get home.”

 

He nodded, “We’ll be back,” he promised, ruffling Sophia’s hair.

 

As he went off with Leonard and Jim, Melanie and Joanna tried to keep the twins occupied with the bag of cookies and their toys. Charlotte watched quietly, yawning every few minutes, while holding onto the stroller.

 

“Mommy? After we eat can I go to bed?” she asked, as Melanie pulled out the car keys from her bag.

 

“Yes, you can go to sleep,” she said, looking up at her. “Aw, you don’t look so good, Charlie girl.”

 

Melanie reached out and brushed her hair back, feeling her forehead. “My head hurts, Mommy,” she pouted. “And my ears too!”

 

“We were on the plane for a long time,” Melanie said, as she picked her up. “If you want to close your eyes for a little bit you can. I promise to wake you up when we stop for food.”

 

Charlotte whimpered as she rested her head on Melanie’s shoulder, arms hanging over her shoulders as she tucked her face into her neck.

 

“Uh oh,” Joanna shook her head, as Melanie sat down on the bench. “I hope you’re not getting a summer cold, Miss Charlie.”

 

“I hope not either,” Melanie sighed, rubbing her back. “That’s the last thing I need to worry about.”

 

……………

 

By midnight, the girls were tucked into bed with their new toys, passed out and snoring. A light dinner, followed by a slow trek home, the kids were out cold by the time they got upstairs and into their pajamas.

 

“Tomorrow we can sleep in a bit and then I’ll start washing the rest of the clothes,” Melanie said, as she pulled the shirt over her head. “Could you open that window?”

 

“Your brother called when you were tucking Charlie in,” Chris said, as he moved to the windows. “They’re all home and they will call us tomorrow afternoon.”

 

Melanie nodded, “Sounds good,” she sighed, pulling the blankets down on the bed. “Hi Callie. Did you miss Mommy and Daddy?”

 

The tuxedo cat meowed, stretching out between the pillows on the bed, as Melanie scratched her belly.

 

“She probably missed the excess amounts of treats that Charlie gives her,” Chris snorted, as he changed for bed. “Claude’s probably hiding out downstairs, pissy as always.”

 

“He’s getting old, Chris,” Melanie sighed, as she climbed into bed. “Doesn’t help when Sophia and Olivia try to put stickers all over him.”

 

The lights went out in the bathroom, as Chris made his way over to the bed. “So, because he’s an old boy, that gives him the right to be pissy?” he asked, climbing into bed. “I guess I can be pissy, considering the fact that I’m old.”

 

“You’re fifty-six,” she pointed out. “That’s the new forty-six, so technically you’re still young.”

 

“Too bad I look older than my actual age,” he muttered, shifting against the pillows.

 

Melanie sighed, rolling onto her side to look at him. “Your stamina in the bedroom is enough proof, that makes my statement true.”

 

Chris groaned as she giggled, “See, I know that’s an invitation for me to have my way with you,” he started. “But we’ve been up since the crack of dawn and on a plane for six hours, which leaves me in no condition to even enjoy sex at this moment.”

 

“Who said you had to do any of the work?” Melanie teased, making him groan. “Oh don’t be such a baby! I’ll make sure to get a quickie in before the kids are up and begging for food.”

 

“I will hold you to that promise,” he warned, as Callie moved from between the pillows, to lie above his head. “Aw Cal.. come on.”

  
Melanie giggled, “She missed you,” she pouted. “Don’t worry, once you start snoring, she’ll bolt for Charlie’s room.”

 

Grumbling, Chris sank deeper under the blankets and sighed. “I hope so,” he mumbled, shifting against the mattress.

 

…………..

 

The desire to sleep in was killed, as Sophia and Olivia came barrling into the room around seven-thirty in the morning.

 

“We see Mickey!” Sophia squealed, as she sat on Chris’s back. “Up now, Dadee!”

 

Melanie cursed, moving to roll over onto her back. “Girls, we’re home now,” she said, as Olivia hugged her. “Remember? We left Mickey’s house yesterday and came home to our house?”

 

Sophia shook her head, “No! Mickey pway now!” she said, tugging at Chris’s shirt. “Up Dadee! Up now!”

 

“Sophie, baby, we aren’t in Disney anymore,” he mumbled into the pillow, wiggling under her body weight. “Come sit down next to me.”

 

Sitting up, Melanie pulled Sophia off of him, giving him the opportunity to roll over and sit up as well. 

“No Mickey?” Olivia asked, frowning.

 

“No Mickey,” Chris confirmed. “Mickey’s at his house on the other side of the country.”

 

Sophia gasped, turning to look at her twin. “O’Ivvie! No Mickey!” she shrieked.

 

Olivia began to cry, “No M-m-mickey?” she asked again, pointing to her mother. “Mama, no Mickey?”

 

“I’m so sorry, honey,” Melanie said, her heart breaking as they both started to wail. “Oh, no crying. It’s okay!”

 

“Dadee! I pway wif Mickey,” Sophia hiccupped, as he picked her up. “Pway!”

 

He kissed her forehead, “You have Mickey in your room,” he said, giving her a tight squeeze. “Let’s go back to sleep and then later you can play with that Mickey.”

 

On the other side of the bed, Olivia was giving Melanie a hard time with laying down on the mattress next to her.

 

“No sweep!” she scowled, trying to wiggling away from her. “NOOOOO!!!”

 

“Olivia Jane,” Melanie said firmly, taking hold of her arms. “You will lay down and go back to sleep or else you will sit in your room all day.”

 

The three year old glared at her while pouting, tears streaming down her face. “Is that understood?” Melanie asked, as Olivia allowed herself to be tucked into bed. “Go back to sleep and later we’ll find something to do.”

 

“I no sweep, Dadee,” Sophia sniffled, as she laid out next to him. “No sweep!”

 

Chris wrapped his arm around her, dropping a kiss on her forehead. “Shhhh,” he said softly, as she blinked at him. “Just rest your eyes for a little bit and I’ll make you pancakes with chocolate chips.”

 

“Pan pan?” she asked, as he nodded.

 

“If you go back to sleep, I will make them for you,” he yawned. “But you have to sleep.”

 

Sophia quickly rolled over and laid her hands under her cheek, closing her eyes quickly. Melanie snorted, shaking her head, as Olivia clung to her. Of all the things to get the kids to behave or sleep, it was the promise of food.

 

“See?” she said, looking at Olivia. “Daddy’ll make pancakes if you go back to sleep. And I know how much you love pancakes.”

 

The toddler pouted, “Either you go to sleep now or you sit in time out,” she warned, as Olivia laid down with a huff. “Thank you.”

 

Pulling the blankets back up, Melanie laid back down with hopes to get a few more hours of sleep. 


	16. Chapter 16

“Charlie, is your room all cleaned?” Chris asked, as the five year old came downstairs with a gift bag.

 

“Yes,” she nodded, stepping off the last step. “All clean!”

 

Chris looked at her, as she squirmed on the spot. “Charlie….”

 

She sighed, “I put everything under the bed, Daddy!” she whined. “Julie’s on the way!”

 

He shook his head, “Fine,” he sighed, not wanting to start an argument with her. “Go put that on the coffee table and go in the kitchen. Mommy wants to talk to you about lunch and I have to get your sister up from her nap.”

 

Charlotte nodded, rushing out of the living room and into the kitchen, while Chris went upstairs to retrieve Sophia. While he bathed her, Chris could hear the excitement of Julie’s arrival for the day, as both she and Charlotte squealed.

 

“I guess Julie’s here,” he sighed, as Sophia played with the soapsuds.

 

“Ulie!” she squealed, wiggling as he scrubbed her clean. “Ulie pway wif us!”

 

 

Pulling the stopper out of the drain, Chris pulled her out of the bath and quickly wrapped her in a towel.

 

“Let’s get you dressed so we can join them for lunch,” he said, kissing her cheek. “You must be starving after taking that nap right after breakfast.”

 

“Dadee, I hungee,” Sophia nodded, as he set her down on the bed. “Hungee!!”

 

Grabbing some clothes out of the dresser, Chris made it a quick task of dressing the toddler, before carrying her downstairs to join the others. Charlotte and Julie were in the middle of fawning over the presents that Charlotte picked out for the girl, while Hikaru and Julie looked on with smiles.

 

“Look how cool that pencil is, Julie,” Hikaru chuckled. “I bet you can’t wait to use that at school!”

 

“I can use it to do my math!” she squealed, holding up the Mickey pencil. “Thank you, Charlie! I love all my presents!”

 

The girls hugged one another, giggling as they did so. “Next summer, you can come with us to Mickey’s house!” Charlotte nodded. “Uncle Karu can bring you and your mommy!”

 

Melanie laughed, “Better watch out, Hiakaru,” she shook her head. “Charlie’s going to spend the entire year, making sure you do so.”

 

“I’ll try my best, Charlie,” Hikaru nodded, making her giggle. “Tell us what else you guys did there! I wanna know how many princesses you met!”

 

While Charlotte retold the entire trip to Julie, Hikaru and Louisa, Chris went into the kitchen with Sophia.

 

“Lunch is almost ready,” Melanie sighed, as she went to the refrigerator. “It’s a good thing I went to the store after breakfast to get cold cuts, otherwise we would be eating rice and oatmeal.”

 

“Ewwwww,” Sophia shook her head. “No mushy!”

 

Chris snorted, setting her at the table to color with Olivia. “Sandwiches are fine,” he nodded, as Melanie went to work on preparing them. “We’ll do a big shopping trip tomorrow, since we still have to go and pick up the mail at the post office.”

 

At the table, Olivia and Sophia dumped the crayons out of the bucket, giggling as they rolled all over the table and onto the floor.

 

“Pia!” Olivia giggled, as her twin grabbed a handful of crayons. “Oh no!”

 

Moving to clear up the mess, Melanie shook her head at them. “Leave the crayons in the bucket,” she said, as Sophia stuck her tongue out at her. “I’ll take that tongue and put it on your sandwich.”

 

Sophia quickly covered her mouth, shaking her head furiously. “No Mama!” she cried, as Melanie nodded.

 

“When are your brother and Jim coming?” Chris asked, as he finished preparing lunch for the girls and their present guests.

 

“Should be soon,” Melanie said, looking at the clock on the wall. “They went up to target to get some things for Jo and said they’d stop at the store to get drinks and what not.”

 

Chris nodded, setting the knife down on the counter. “I’ll go see if they want something to drink,” he said, moving towards the entryway of the kitchen. “Girls, start cleaning up. Lunch is almost ready to go.”

 

“Yum, yum, yum, yum,” Olivia babbled, as she dropped her crayons into the bucket. “Pia, yum!”

 

“Yum!!!!!!” Sophia squealed, scribbling furiously into her book. “Mama! Joose!”

 

Melanie sighed, “You have to wait, Soph,” she said, grabbing a stack of plates from the cabinet “Mommy only has two hands, which are very full right now.”

 

…………

 

After a nice lunch, the kids were sent downstairs to watch a movie and play, while the adults and Joanna sat outside on the patio.

 

“I can’t believe how this summer flew,” Louisa sighed, running her fingers through her hair. “Julie’s been driving us crazy everyday when the mail comes, just to see who her teacher is this fall.”

 

“Oh dear,” Melanie groaned. “I’m not looking forward to that.”

 

“Hopefully she and Charlie get the same teacher,” Chris sighed. “I can only imagine how awful it would be if they didn’t.”

 

Hikaru snickered, “Maybe you two could go down to the school and beg for them to switch the classes,” he offered.

 

Chris shrugged, taking a sip of his beer, while Jim stood up with the empty chip bowl.

 

“I’m relieved that Jo doesn’t have to worry about one teacher,” he said. “I can’t even imagine sitting in one class with hardly anyone you know.”

 

“That’s how you make friends, Jim,” Leonard snorted. “Start ‘em young that way they can socialize and shit.”

 

Jim waved his hand at him, moving into the house to get more chips, while Joanna took his seat.

 

“Well, I’ dreading the back to school shopping,” Chris grumbled. “And I’m not talking about school supplies.”

 

Hikaru chuckled; “Julie’s already informed us on what shoes she wants and how many pairs of colored jeans that she “must have” before the year begins. Did you know that they make jeans with sparkles on them? _Sparkles!_ I want jeans with sparkles if it’s gonna make me cool.”

 

“Sparkly jeans?” Chris groaned. “Mel, she’s not getting sparkly jeans.”

 

Melanie giggled, “You know she’s going to ask for them,” she said, as Louisa nodded. “That’s what kids do when they go shopping. They see something they like and beg for us to buy it.”

Just as he was about to shoot back a retort, the sliding door opened and the girls spilled out onto the patio with Jim behind them.

 

“Whoa! A wild pack of girls!” Leonard cried, as they scattered to various parts of the patio.

 

“Daddy, Uncle Jim says you’re eating that green stuff again,” Charlotte exclaimed, as she climbed onto his lap. “Give me some!”

 

Chris chuckled, “What do we say?” he asked, earning a pout from her. “I know you can ask a little nicer than that.”

 

“Daddy, can I please have some of that green stuff?” she asked. “Now?”

 

He nodded, “Go get a bowl from the drawer in the kitchen,” he said, as she scrambled off his lap. “You and Julie can sit together on the patio and share.”

 

Running off into the kitchen, Chris grabbed a paper plate and loaded it up with some tortilla chips, as Charlotte came running back out with a plastic bowl.

 

“Now, don’t make a mess,” he warned, as they both settled on the patio. “Otherwise we’ll have bugs all over the place and Mommy will have a heart attack.”

 

Olivia and Sophia were in the middle of stuffing their faces with chips, covered with onion dip and smeared on their faces.

 

“Yummy?” Melanie asked, as she wiped Olivia’s cheek off.

 

They both nodded, “Mama, yum!” Sophia squealed, as the dipped smeared onto her nose.

 

“Are they going this year?” Louisa asked, nodding to the twins. “Or are you sending them next fall?”

 

“Next fall,” Melanie nodded. “Once we get the potty training down and they can spend the whole day wearing big girl pants.”

 

Jim snickered, “And good luck to the teacher that gets them,” he said, as they ate. “One alone is fine, but the two of them together? Jesus.”

 

“They’re not so bad,” Melanie shrugged, as Sophia knocked her cup over. “Well, most of the time they aren’t.”

 

…………..

 

By the end of the week, the house was restocked with food and other necessities and the kids were shuttled back and forth from Julie’s house and the Kirk-McCoy house, as the final weeks of summer rolled through. After receiving her class list, Melanie, Chris and Louisa were relieved to learn that the girls would in fact be in the same class.

 

“Two out of fourteen years to go,” Louisa joked, as Melanie dropped Charlotte off for a sleepover. “God help us if they don’t have the same teacher next year.”

 

The list for school supplies was placed on the refrigerator, along with pictures from coloring books from the girls. Charlotte had already told her parents over dinner what she wanted as far as clothes went, learning about the sparkly jeans from her Uncle Hikaru.

 

“I want a pair because Julie’s getting them and they have sparklies on them!” she said, when Chris asked if she really needed the jeans. “And I’ll look cute.”

 

“You’re already cute,” Chris said, as she covered a chicken nugget with ketchup. “You’re my kid, which makes you automatically cute.”

 

Charlotte sighed, “They’ll make me _extra_ cute.”

 

_Charlotte Pike: 1. Christopher Pike: 0_

 

Melanie giggled at the entire exchanged, as Chris grumbled and sighed over the items that Charlotte listed. He drew the line at sparkly tops and skirts, stating that it was either the jeans or shirts; skirts were too much of a hassle and could lead to a lifetime of teasing if she accidently flashed the class.

 

“Mommy and I will take you to the mall before school starts,” he promised. “We still have a lot to catch up on since before we went away.”

 

“Like what?” Charlotte asked, as she handed him her plate. “Mommy washed all the clothes in my bag!”

 

The water went on, “We still have to take you to the doctor so she can do your physical,” he  pointed out. “The school wants to make sure that you don’t need glasses and that you can hear very well.”

 

She nodded, “But my eyeballs don’t need glasses and I can hear you fine,” she said. “Sophie needs to get new ears though.”

 

He chuckled, “We’ll let the doctor be the judge of that,” he said, wiping the plate off. “Go on upstairs and help Mommy with the laundry. I want that room spotless when I come up there to tuck you in.”

 

An hour later, he found Charlotte in the master bedroom, trying on Melanie’s sandals.

 

“Mommy! Take a picture of me!” she demanded, as Melanie hung up the clean clothes. “For your picture thingy on the hello-phone.”

 

“Charlie, my Instagram is filled with pictures of you and your sisters,” she sighed, as Charlotte stood before the mirror. “I think I took enough pictures of you this summer. Let’s wait until the fall starts for more, okay?”

 

She huffed, “Mommmmmmyyyyy! I look cuteeeee now!” she whined, as Chris chuckled. “Daddy! Tell Mommy that she needs to take a picture of me!”

 

He stepped further into the room, sitting down on the bed with a sigh. “Oh yeah?” he asked, as she nodded. “Why’s that?”

 

“Because I has these on!” she giggled, pointing to the gemstone incrusted sandals. “I like these shoesies, Mommy. Can I get my own pair?”

 

“Maybe I’ll get you a pair for next summer,” Melanie said, moving to put the rest of the clothes away. “It’s going to be cold here soon and you can’t wear sandals when it’s cold outside.”

 

Chris nodded, “We’ll have to cut your toes off if they’re frozen,” he said, earning a gasp.

 

Charlotte shook her head, “No! Don’t cut them off!” she begged, quickly pulling her feet out of the shoes. “I don’t want you to cut them off!”

 

“Thanks,” Melanie shook her head, as she picked the sandals up off the floor. “Just.. thanks, Chris.”

 

He snorted, pulling Charlotte up for a kiss. “Then you have to wear your winter shoes,” he said. “Now, go and put your pajamas on. I’ll put a movie in for you to watch before bed.”

 

Once Charlotte left the room, Chris sat back on the bed and watched as Melanie cleaned up around the room. The basket went onto the chair, while the dirty laundry was moved into it.

 

“Come here,” he suddenly said, as she went to put the folded up quilt into the closet.

 

“What?” she asked, making her way over to him. “Chris!”

 

He snorted as she yelped, pulling her down onto the bed next to him. “You’ve been busy all day,” he said, as she wiggled. “I just want five minutes of your time before we have to put them all down for bed.”

 

“But you’ll have my attention after that,” Melanie pouted, as he tossed the quilt to the side. “I give you enough attention by the way, so don’t make it sound like I don’t.”

 

“But I didn’t get my five minutes before the bedtime fiasco,” Chris pointed out, kissing her nose. “You were up and out of bed early this morning too.”

 

Melanie sighed, “I have a house to clean and three kids to tend to,” she said, as he hugged her tightly. “I didn’t have time for morning cuddles and whatever else you wanted.”

 

Chris pouted, “Oh stop! I’ll give you my full attention tonight when they’re all down and out,” Melanie sighed, shaking her head. ‘Now, if you could be so kind to let me go, I can actually get shit done in order to have those “late night” activities with you.”

 

Instead of letting her go, Chris tightened his grip on her, chuckling as he squealed and tried to pull away. “Christopherrrrr!” she whined, as he looked up at her.

 

“I love you,” he said, kissing her shoulder. “Won’t let go until you say it back.”

 

“What are you, five?” she huffed, as he rested his head on her chest. “Fine, I love you too.”

 

“Say it like you mean it.”

 

Melanie sighed, reaching up to tangling her fingers in his hair. “I love you, very much,” she said, softer this time.

 

Chris nodded, “Much better,” he said, releasing his hold on her, giving her the opportunity to sit up.

 

Melanie quickly got off the bed and headed towards the door, “Just for that, you can clean the toilet bowl,” she snickered, before rushing out of the room.

 

“Of course,” he sighed, moving to sit up. “Whatever you say, honey.”

 

“I better have a _sparkling_ toilet bowl when I get back,” she warned, as she moved down the hall. “Charlie! Are you ready for your movie?”

 

Getting up, Chris make his way across the room and into the bathroom, turning the lights on as he stepped inside. Instead of moving straight to the toilet bowl to grab the scrub brush, he scanned the items on the counter top closely. When he saw the bottle of shimmer spray that Melanie just “had” to have, he picked it up.

 

“I’ll give you a sparkling toilet,” he mumbled, spritzing the seat with the shimmer spray. “Sparkly and,” he sniffed the bottle. “Lemon-ey.”

 

Setting the bottle back in it’s rightful spot, Chris left the bathroom and went out to the hallway, just as Melanie was coming back with Charlotte’s dirty clothes.

 

“Cleaned it already?” she asked, amazed. “That was less than five minutes!”

 

“What can I say,” he shrugged, taking the basket with the clothes. “I’m pretty good at what I do.”

 

Melanie gave him a look and moved into the bedroom, “Whatever you say,” she said. “Go and make sure the twins aren’t killing each other. And that they actually have clothes on.”

 

Chris nodded and started down the hall, whistling to himself as he walked. When he reached the door to Sophia and Olivia’s room, he heard Melanie shouting.   
  
“DID YOU REALLY SPRAY MY LEMON SHIMMER SPRAY ON THE TOLIET, CHRISTOPHER?!”

 

“NO!” he shouted back, pushing the door open to the bedroom. “Hey girls! Ready to get your jammies on?”

 

As he dressed them for bed, he cold hear Melanie muttering and moving around outside.

 

“Dadee, Mama angwee,” Olivia pouted, as he tossed her dirty clothes into the basket.

 

“Mommy’s just upset that Daddy found a quicker way to clean the potty,” he said, as she wiggled. “Go on and play with Sophie and I’ll be back to tuck you in.”

 

Emptying the hamper, Chris quickly moved downstairs to avoid an attack by Melanie, chuckling to himself as she puttered around the bedroom. But he knew, as he headed to the laundry room, that she would get her revenge on him. It was only a matter of time, but it was definitely coming. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long update, but I wanted to wrap this story up!

The rest of the summer went quickly, as everyone prepared for the new school year. Charlotte and Julie, despite being assigned to the same teacher, spent as much time together as they could before the threat of homework and early bedtimes came. 

“Daddy! Daddy! I need to pack my bag for Julie’s!” Charlotte exclaimed, as she ran down the hall to the master bedroom. “Please help!” 

Chris, who was in the middle of making the bed, sighed. “Charlie, you have to wait until I’m finished here,” he said, as she watched him. “Remember what I said? Patience is a virtue?” 

The five year old huffed, “Daddy, I have paytinince,” she said, stumbling on the word. “But I don’t want to forget anything!” 

“And you won’t,” he insisted, shaking out the top sheet. “Why don’t you put those pillow cases on the pillows for me? The faster I get this bed made, the quicker I can help you with your bag.” 

“Kay!” she nodded, moving to the laundry basket on the floor. 

Five minutes and one bed neatly made, Chris led Charlotte back into her room and helped her pack up for her sleepover. 

“I want my Hello Kitty pajamas,” Charlotte said, as Chris moved around the room. “The one with the apples!” 

“The one with the apples,” he nodded, digging through the drawers. “Charlie, there’s a lot of apples on these. Come here and show me which ones you want.” 

Charlotte rushed over and pointed to the shorts with green and red apples, along with the black top that went with them.

“Aren’t you going to be cold?” he asked, as she took the pajamas from him. “Maybe you should take pants.” 

“Julie has a big blanket on her bed,” Charlotte said, as she set the pajamas on her bed. “I need socks.” 

Digging through the rest of her dresser, Chris managed to find a two pairs of socks, a pair of underpants and a shirt for her. Moving to the closet, he took a pair of shorts from a hanger and brought everything over to her bed. 

“What else do you need?” he asked, packing the clothes up into the bag. “You need your toothbrush and your hairbrush.”

“I need my Nemo!” she exclaimed, grabbing the old toy. “Nemo sleeps with Julie’s Dory doll!” 

He chuckled, as Melanie appeared in the doorway. “I hope they behave for Julie’s mom and Uncle Hikaru,” he warned, as he turned to look at her. “Hey! Did you want Charlotte’s sheets now or later?” 

Melanie waved her hand, “I’ll wash them later,” she sighed, moving further into the room. “Are you almost ready for your sleepover?” 

Charlotte nodded, “Daddy picked out my clothes for when I come home,” she giggled, as Chris double-checked her bag. “Uncle Hikaru’s making noodles for dinner and he’s going to show me and Julie how to make paper birds!” 

“I’m gonna grab her toothbrush before she forgets it,” Chris said, as Melanie went to sit on the bed. 

“Okay,” she nodded, sitting down. “Sophie and Liv are in the basement with a movie, so hopefully everything’s all good.” 

He nodded and stepped out into the hallway, as Charlotte informed her of what she and Julie were doing later that night. Grabbing the pink toothbrush from its holder, Chris placed it into the travel box and searched for Charlotte’s hairbrush in the drawer. Digging through the bows and hair ties, Chris managed to save the brush from the mess and took both items back into the bedroom. 

“That entire drawer of hair stuff is a mess,” he said, while Melanie and Charlotte fed the frogs. “Why do you guys need like eighty bows?” 

“Because we’re girls!” Charlotte gasped. “Why do you have lots of cooking things?” 

Melanie snickered, “Because how else am I going to feed you?” Chris asked, as Charlotte giggled. “I can’t cook without pots and pans.” 

“I need my bows to hold my hair away!” Charlotte said, as he came over to look into the tank. “They smell, Daddy.” 

“They really smell,” Melanie frowned, opening the filter to find a dirty cartridge. “Ah, that’s why. Someone’s slacking on their fish tank cleaning, Charlie.” 

She shook her head, “Daddy!” she shouted, pointing to Chris. “I’m not allowed to touch the filter.” 

Chris tickled her, “Throw me under the bus, huh?” he asked, as she giggled. “I’ll get a cartridge from downstairs in a bit and then we’ll head over to Julie’s house.” 

“Go on and finish getting ready,” Melanie said, ruffling her hair. “Then I want you to check on your sisters and make sure they’re not killing each other.” 

As Charlotte went to get dressed, Melanie nudged Chris with her elbow. “Are you sure it’s just the filter that needs to be changed?” she asked, glancing at the tank. “It smells like something died in there.” 

“I’ll clean the filter out and it should be fine,” he said, as she shook her head. 

“I hate fish,” she pouted. “They’re a pain in the ass to take care of and they’re boring” 

Chris chuckled, “Well, these are frogs,” he said, correcting her. “And they’re pretty cool if you ask me.” 

Melanie shook her head, “Well, I didn’t ask for what you thought of them, Christopher. Just clean the filter and feed them, please. The last thing I need is for one or all three of them to die and have three unhappy kids crying about it.” 

“Yes Ma’am.” 

“Come on, Charlie,” Melanie sighed. “Let’s go see what Liv and Sophie are up to.” 

…………..

By the time Sunday rolled around, the day before school, Melanie was ready to send her daughter back. 

“I don’t wanna goooooooo!” Charlotte whined, as she moped around the house. “I don’t want to be in school anymore.” 

“Charlotte, you’re going,” Melanie said, as she put together her backpack. “Julie’s going and I’m sure she’s not giving her mother grief over it.” 

Charlotte pouted and stomped her foot, “DADDY!” she shouted, as her mother huffed. 

“What now?” Chris yelled from the other room, as he tried to get the last of his class syllabus done to post online. 

A few minutes later, he was in the kitchen with a sulking child and a frustrated wife. “Charlotte, why are you giving your mother a hard time?” he asked, as she pouted. 

“I don’t want to go to school tomorrow,” she repeated, giving him the puppy dog eyes, which he always fell for. 

“Sorry kid, you’re going to school,” Chris shrugged, as Charlotte gasped in outrage. “Do you think I wanna go to school this week?” 

She shook her head, “But Daddy! I-“ she started, before he cut her off. 

“You’re only going for three days and then you’re off until next Monday because of the holiday,” he said. “It’s not even a full week of school and you get to go in at eight and you get out at one.” 

Charlotte shook her head furiously, “I’m not going! You can’t make me!” 

He chuckled, “Oh really?” he asked, as she nodded. “Well, you’re not sitting home all day and having fun.” 

“Daddy!” 

“Charlotte Anne, enough!” he said firmly, as she pouted. “Stop giving your mother a hard time about this, because you’re not going to win this one. You’re going to school tomorrow and you’re going to be good for the teacher.” 

Melanie glanced over at him, surprised at how he was handling the entire situation. Always the sucker for giving into whatever the kids wanted, she didn’t expect him to turn around and be the one to tell Charlotte that enough was enough. 

“Now apologize and help your mother with your school books,” he said, nodding towards the table. “If I have to come out here one more time, you’re going to bed without dessert and you’ll be grounded for the rest of the week.” 

The girl glowered as she stomped over to the table, climbing up into the chair. Shaking his head, Chris turned to look at Melanie, who shook her head at him. 

“If you need me, I’ll be in the office,” he said. 

“Okay,” Melanie nodded, as she went back to filling out all the forms for the school. “I’ll let you know when lunch is ready.” 

Chris nodded as he looked at Charlotte, sitting in the chair with her arms folded across her chest and a pout on her face. Shaking his head, he turned on his heels and made his way back into the other room to finish up his work. 

………….  
“Thank god Louisa and Hikaru were there before us,” Melanie said, as she shut the door behind her. “I was afraid that Charlie would throw a tantrum in the classroom.” 

“If she wants that two day sleepover this week, she’ll be on her best behavior for the next three days,” he said, carrying Sophia into the living room. “Are you guys hungry?” 

Olivia nodded, “Hungee!” she squealed, running into the kitchen. 

Chris snorted, “What are you in the mood for?” he asked, as they followed the toddler into the kitchen. 

“I could use a cup of coffee,” Melanie said, placing Sophia into the chair. “And hopefully these two will be good for the rest of the day so I can sit down and relax.” 

“You feeling okay?” Chris asked, as he went to put a pot of water on for the coffee.

She nodded, “Just a headache, which Charlotte’s temper tantrum didn’t help this morning,” she shrugged, getting the juice out from the refrigerator. “Hopefully it’s not the dreadful summer cold, but my immune system has been shot thanks to our lovely kids, so I’ll probably wake up tomorrow with the plague.” 

Chris shook his head, “Don’t say that,” he begged. “You’ll jinx it.” 

“It wouldn’t be any less true thought,” Melanie sighed, as she carried the two cups over to the table. 

“Mama, I hungee now!” Sophia whined, as she wiggled around in the chair. “I eats now.” 

Melanie nodded, “You have to wait until we figure out what to make you,” she said, pushing the chair closer to the table. “Do you want cereal?” 

Olivia nodded while Sophia shook her head, “No!” she pouted, as Chris took a box of french toast sticks from the freezer. 

“How about we eat these?” he asked, looking into the box. “This should be enough for all of us.” 

“MINE!” Sophia screeched, holding her hands out for the box. “Dadee! Mine!!!” 

He chuckled, “You can’t eat them all,” he said, moving to the toaster oven. “I’ll put these in to cook and cut up some apples, that way they don’t’ rip this place apart.” 

Moving around the kitchen quickly to avoid the potential meltdown, breakfast was done and on the table within fifteen minutes. Sophia and Olivia’s faces were smeared with syrup in less than two minutes, while their sticky fingerprints got all over the place. 

“You two are the messiest eaters that I know,” Chris shook his head, as he wiped Sophia’s face with a napkin. “You’re worse than your mother.” 

“I resent that statement,” Melanie shook her head, standing to collect the plates. Feeding lies to our children about their mother. Have you no shame, Christopher?” 

He snorted, helping Sophia out of the chair. “I speak from past experience,” he said. “Come on girls. Let’s go wash up and I’ll put your cartoons on for the morning.”

…………  
By the time Charlotte came home, around two, all three girls were ready for a nap. 

“When I come back to wake you up in an hour, you have to wake up,” Chris said, as he tucked Charlotte into bed. “Okay? That way you’re not up all night long and driving your mother crazy.” 

She nodded, “Kay,” she yawned, cuddling into her Nemo doll. “Can we have chicken nuggets for dinner?” 

Chris snorted, “Is there anything else you want with that?” he asked, as Charlotte yawned. 

“Tots,” she mumbled, her eyes closing. 

“I’ll see what we have in the freezer,” he said, pulling the blanket up to her chin. “I’ll come back to check on you in a little while.” 

With the curtains closed, Chris set the light in the fish tank on and quickly made his way out of the bedroom. Closing the door halfway, he turned to see that Melanie was doing the exact same thing across the hall. 

“Go to sleep,” she said quietly, but firmly. “I’ll come back later to play with you both.” 

Turning around, she startled, ignoring the snickering and shook her head. “Nice,” she hissed, as they started down the hall to the stairs. “Give me a heart attack why don’t ya?” 

“Oh please,” he chuckled, as they made their way downstairs. “Charlie’s requested chicken nuggets and tater tots for dinner.”

“Oh joy,” Melanie shook her head. “I think I’ve had my fair share of chicken nuggets and tater tots since our vacation. If I eat anymore chicken nuggets, I’ll turn into one.” 

Chris wrapped his arm around her waist, gently bushing him up against the wall near the kitchen. “You’d make for a tasty chicken nugget,” he purred, nipping at her ear. “Hmm, we’ve got a few hours to ourselves.” 

“Whatever shall we do?” Melanie teased, her hands roaming south. “I think the guest room is calling us!” 

Scooping her up, Chris carried her over his shoulder down the hall, snorting as she squealed in delight; the promise of a few hours alone, were much deserved and sought after.   
………..  
As the girls ran about, winding down for bed after dinner, Chris and Melanie prepared for the next school day. 

“I don’t’ want to go tomorrow,” Chris whined, as Melanie put together his and Charlotte’s lunch together. “Teaching snotty rich kids how to cook.” 

“You sound just like your daughter,” she shook her head, laying the pieces of cheese out on the bread. “You go two days a week for three classes, and you only have to go in tomorrow!”

He sighed, “I still have to wake up at the crack of dawn,” he muttered. 

Melanie shook her head, “Do I have to give you the same speech you gave Charlie yesterday?” she asked, as he groaned. “You don’t even have to hold the full lecture, Chris. Just go over what you expect and what the class will entail and tell them to be ready to cook the following week. Tell them to start practicing and brushing up on their skills or whatever.” 

“You mean I can let them out before the full hour is up?!?” he exclaimed, startling her. 

“Y-e-s?” she frowned. “Do you really hold the full hour’s worth for the first day?” 

He nodded; “So that’s why my students hate me!” he shook his head. “Holy shit!” 

Melanie snorted, placing the sandwich into the ziploc bag. “Oh god,” she shook her head. “You’ve got a lot to learn, honey.” 

“I feel like I’ve been missing out on so much,” Chris shook his head, still shocked. “Charlie! Come in here and pick out your snack for tomorrow!” 

As Charlotte dug through the cabinets, muttering about what she and Julie would enjoy, her parents managed to sneak a few kisses without her catching. 

“If you cut all three lectures short, you could be home before rush out,” Melanie murmured, kissing him. “And you’ll have the rest of the week off to be the lazy bum that you are.” 

“You could always go in for me,” Chris shrugged. “I know how upset you are about not being able to go back to work this semester.” 

Melanie snorted, “And teach them how to burn down a kitchen?” she teased. “I may be upset about SU screwing me over, but M’Benga’s putting me down for fulltime until I can figure out what to do in the spring.” 

Chris sighed, “Didn’t hurt to try,” he grumbled, as she pulled him in for another kiss. 

“Ewww!” Charlotte squealed. “Stop making kissy faces and pack my lunch!” 

“Charlotte, what did we say about manners?” Chris asked, as she held a bag of goldfish and box of cookies in her arms. “And you’re getting fruit with your lunch tomorrow, to balance out the diet.” 

Charlotte sighed, handing over the snacks to be packed up in her lunch box. “Sophie and Liv are sleeping on the couch,” she announced, as Melanie packed the snacks into the box. “Does that mean I have to go to bed soon?” 

Chris nodded, “Soon,” he said, putting the snacks back into the cabinet. “You can stay up to read or watch a little bit of your cartoons, but it’s lights out by eight-thirty.” 

“Kay!” she nodded, rushing out of the kitchen. 

“Well, let’s hope she’s this enthusiastic when it’s time to really go to bed,” Chris shook his head, as Melanie set the sandwiches into the refrigerator. “I’ll bring the other two up to bed.” 

Melanie nodded, “I’ll help,” she said, setting the knife into the sink. “You can’t carry them both up the stairs.” 

Together, they carefully collected the girls from the couch and carried them up to their room, tucking them under the blankets. With Charlotte in her own room watching her cartoons, the couple quietly got ready for bed, despite being ten to eight. 

“Once Charlie’s down, I think we should call it a night,” Melanie yawned, getting the bed ready. “I’m not used to this six-thirty wake up call nonsense.” 

“Summer’s over, “Chris said, nearly pouting. “We’ve been spoiled.” 

She nodded, “That we have been,” she sighed, sitting down next to him. “But it was a good summer, despite a few bumps.” 

Chris wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close for a kiss. “It was,” he nodded, thinking back to the past three months. “Let’s aim for a relaxing winter, huh? No crazy parties or fights with anyone.” 

“I’ll try,” Melanie giggled. “I think we should get Charlie tucked into bed, that way we can get a good nights worth of sleep.” 

“I’ll go,” he said, kissing her forehead. “You go on and finish getting ready for bed and I’ll do the round up with locking up and making sure they’re all situated.” 

She smiled, “Be quick,” she whispered, stealing another kiss from him. “Otherwise, I’ll take all the blankets and leave you with none.” 

Getting up, Chris made his way out of the bedroom, going downstairs first to lock up and turn the lights off. Once he was sure that everything was secure, he made his way back upstairs to deal with Charlotte. Luckily, Charlotte was out cold in bed, the television blaring in the background. Turning it off, Chris carefully got her under the blankets and gave her a kiss on the forehead. 

Checking on the twins quickly, tucking a leg back under a blanket and picking a stuffed animal off the floor, Chris was climbing into bed before eight thirty. 

“All asleep?” Melanie yawned, as he turned the lamp off. 

“All asleep,” he confirmed, laying his head down on the pillow. “Thank god.” 

She giggled, “We wont get this lucky again for a while,” she pointed out. “So let’s just savor it and the fact that we’ll get some sleep.” 

Quick kisses and words of endearment were exchanged, as the couple managed to wrap themselves around one another; burrowing under the blankets. With the first day of school completed, the lucky chance to wind down for the night was a gift; one that would never be passed upon in the Pike household. The summer was over, as the new season rushed in, with its promises of restless nights and falling back into a daily routine that had been absent. But, as the three little girls slept soundly in their bed, their parents would wait until tomorrow to deal with the changes. For now, the sweet escape to dreamland was much more appealing.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! 
> 
> This story might not be updated frequently, since I'm still working on the kinks. I might change the title as well, once I get an idea of where I'm going with this. I have some ideas but nothing is concrete yet!


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